Police are warning the public about a sex offender, with numerous convictions for sexual offences against children, who is being released from custody and believed to be heading to Winnipeg.
The Manitoba Integrated High Risk Offender Unit, a joint forces unit of the Winnipeg Police Service and the RCMP, issued the warning about 45-year-old John Eugene Kakegamic on Friday morning.
Officers said he is at high risk to become involved in further sexual offences. Young children, both male and female, are at risk of sexual violence, police said.
Kakegamic is being released from the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon on Friday and he is expected to take up residence in Winnipeg, police said.
Kakegamic has a history of sexual offences in relation to children, including aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and invitation to sexual touching as well as many other criminal offences.
Although Kakegamic participated in some sex offender treatment programs in prison, he is still considered a high risk to reoffend, police said.
Officers said they are releasing information about Kakegamic to enable members of the public to protect themselves, but any form of vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct toward Kakegamic will not be tolerated.
Kakegamic is a 45-year-old aboriginal male. He is five feet eight inches (173 centimeters) in height, weighing 143 pounds (65 kilograms), with black hair and brown eyes. He has several tattoos, including an eagle on his left forearm, a snake on his right upper arm, a heart and dagger on right forearm, a rose on his chest and an eagle and lady on grapes on his upper back.
Past criminal convictions:
Kakegamic's most recent sentence was imposed on Nov. 28, 2002. Kakegamic approached a nine-year-old boy on the street and asked the boy to help him find his watch. Then, Kakegamic took the boy to his apartment where he threatened the boy with a knife and sexually assaulted him, police said. Kakegamic was sentenced to eight years. Upon release, he will be under long-term supervision for 10 years.
In 1984, Kakegamic was sentenced to three years for an aggravated sexual assault on a 17-month-old female infant.
In 1989, he was sentenced to ten years for a sexual assault on a seven-year-old boy.
