(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Custody assault

Inmate on life support following jail attack

Jan 23, 2020 | 5:44 PM

As police and the Ministry of Corrections and Policing continue to investigate three separate violent altercations at the Prince Albert Correctional Centre, paNOW has learned more details about one of the incidents.

Julien Lawrence Potvin, 31, who was arrested on Dec. 30, 2019 in Prince Albert in connection to an armed robbery, was not present for his latest court appearance Thursday morning at Prince Albert Provincial Court. Legal aid lawyer Lorretta Markowski informed Judge T. Healey, Potvin was sent to hospital in Saskatoon, following an incident “while in custody.”

Sources close to the incident told paNOW Potvin was attacked by four men on New Year’s Eve at the men’s correctional facility. When Judge Healey asked Markowski about Potvin’s condition and how long he might be in hospital for, Markowski replied she was told “for a very long time.”

Potvin’s case was adjourned to Feb. 7.

A person claiming to be a close friend of Potvin’s said he is currently on life support at Royal University Hospital.

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According to one social media post, a family member said Potvin was assaulted and “extremely hurt” on New Year’s Eve. The family members from B.C. are currently trying to raise funds to help pay for hotels, flights, and other travel costs to visit him in hospital.

According to information from police on Dec. 31, Potvin was one of two people arrested the previous morning in connection to an incident involving a stolen truck. The victim and the accused were said to be known to each other. Potvin’s current charges include robbery with a firearm, possession of a dangerous weapon, and possession of a prohibited weapon.

In relation to the incident on New Year’s Eve, neither police nor the Ministry of Corrections and Policing have confirmed if any charges were laid.

“Whenever incidents like this occur, ministry staff review the circumstances that led to the situation to see what can be done to prevent similar situations from happening in the future,” a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.

“In the interest of maintaining security in the facility, corrections does not provide specific details on changes to security policies, procedures or techniques,” the statement said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell