Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not?
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
More than a year after a 29-year-old man was killed at his Saskatoon apartment on Melrose Avenue, police are still trying to track down a second suspect in the case.
A $50,000 reward is being offered by the Bolo Program for any tip that leads to the arrest of Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron. The program is a national initiative “to encourage citizens like you to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted.”
Ouellet-Gendron is well-known to police across Canada, not just from this case, but also from drug trafficking investigations. As a result, he’s currently considered the 10th-most-wanted man in all of Canada.
Police believe he has ties to Edmonton, Saskatoon, Toronto and Montreal, and there’s a possibility that someone may be helping him hide and evade capture.
Blair Pellerin, a superintendent with the Saskatoon Police Service, said some members of the public might not be aware of the manhunt.
(Saskatoon Police Service/Submitted)
“This individual has escaped our grasp for some time. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are some people out there who don’t know he’s responsible for this,” Pellerin explained.
Because of the threat Ouellet-Gendron could pose, a massive social media campaign has been launched, and billboards have been placed up in those cities throughout the country in the hope someone will give police a tip that could lead to his arrest.
At a news conference Wednesday, Pellerin shared a stern message with Ouellet-Gendron, and noted he wouldn’t be surprised if the wanted man hears it through the media.
“If you have been unaware up to this point and time that the Saskatoon police have been looking to speak with you, consider this your notice,” Pellerin stated.
“I encourage you to take this opportunity now, go to the nearest police service, inform them who you are, and from there we’ll take it.”
Police said that if anyone spots Ouellet-Gendron, they should not approach him and should call 911 immediately.
Max Langlois, executive director of the Bolo Program, had a similar message for Ouellet-Gendron.
“His life evading arrest will get significantly more challenging as of today,” Langlois stated. “There’s only one right thing to do – call a lawyer, make arrangements, and turn himself in.”
Ouellet-Gendron is described as standing five-foot-six and weighing 140 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes and several tattoos including a Mayan statue on his right hand, a black rose on his left wrist and a gorilla on his upper torso.
According to Langlois, when the program launches these campaigns, they typically have a 25 to 30 per cent success rate when it comes to tips leading to someone’s arrest.
The reward for a tip that leads to the arrest is paid for by Bolo, and doesn’t impact Canadian taxpayers or the budget of the Saskatoon police.
