Okpik charged with sexual assault
Jaaji Okpik, part of the band Twin Flames, is Mohawk-Inuk. He faces seven charges for alleged offences dating back to the early 2000s, including sexual assault. Courtesy twinflamesmusic.com
Jaaji Okpik, one half of the musical duo Twin Flames, is facing multiple charges related to offenses that allegedly took place during his time as a police officer in Nunavik in the early 2000s, following a months-long investigation by Quebec’s Office of Independent Investigations (BEI).
Okpik, who is also known as Sunchild (George) Deer-Okpik, is Mohawk-Inuk. His biological father is from Kahnawake, where he spent his summers, and he grew up in the Inuit community of Quaqtaq, Nunavik, with his maternal grandparents.
The alleged offences would have taken place in Quaqtaq in 2000, per a July 3 press release from the BEI, who said that Okpik was arrested on May 27 on seven charges, including sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a teenage girl in a relationship of dependency or authority, as well as unlawful confinement.
The BEI release also noted that two Surete du Quebec (SQ) police officers from the Montcalm MRC station had been arrested on July 3, marking the conclusion of an investigation that also saw the arrest of Okpik and another former Nunavik police officer, Charlie Keelan.
Keelan was arrested in September of last year related to six charges, including sexual assault and exploitation of a young person in a relationship of dependency or authority, which allegedly occurred when he was a police officer in Nunavik between 1997 and 2020.
The news of Okpik’s charges was first broken by the CBC on June 17, which reported that an arrest warrant obtained by Radio-Canada showed that there were allegedly two victims.
The Eastern Door contacted Okpik for comment and was directed to his lawyer Nadine Tooma.
“Mr. Okpik denies the allegations brought against him, which are purported to have occurred over 25 years ago. He will vigorously contest these charges in court as soon as possible,” Touma said.
Okpik and his partner Chelsey June are currently on tour across the United States and Canada with their band Twin Flames, which started on June 2.
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The duo has celebrated many accolades in recent years, including taking home the prestigious Group of the Year award at the Capital Music Awards on May 22, just five days before Okpik’s arrest, and they also operate music education programs in schools across Turtle Island.
