'Can he come back?:' Sex offender living in rural Sask. back in jail

A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after being accused of reoffending.

Nathan Dueck, 40, has been picked up twice by police in Gray, Sask., in the past four months.

People in the small town said police raided his home in October and he was arrested for allegedly violating his bail conditions.

Dueck returned to the community after he was granted bail on Dec. 23, 2016.

That’s when a mother of four, who wishes to remain anonymous, said talk around town really started. She said she couldn’t believe that he was let out, let alone living in the town.

She said things escalated on Jan. 23, 2017.

“We saw him come out of the house with a child, and we knew he must have been breaching his bail,” said the mom. “So the police were called immediately and that’s when there was a standoff for several hours.”

No notice from police

In 2009, Dueck was found guilty of sexual assault against a minor and spent more than three years in jail. He then relocated to Gray, which is less than 40 kilometres south of Regina.

RCMP reportedly gave no notice that a convicted sex offender was living in the town.

“We’re not blaming the RCMP, it’s our entire (justice) system,” the mom said.

“I heard in the grand scheme of things, he’s not really as bad compared to some other sex offenders out there but that doesn’t matter, he still did something that’s not right.”

She added it would have been nice to been notified that a convicted sex offender was living in town.

“We’re still worried. Can he come back? Like what happens now?” she said in a tone of frustration, looking down at her two kids hugging her leg.

“Can he come back to our community? What are the guidelines now that this is the second time he’s alleged to have done this? Can he be kicked out? We just don’t know.”

“Right next door”

Bill Carnegie lives across the street from the home where Dueck lived and said he had an odd feeling when family moved in.

“It’s been 18 months since they moved there and, ever since, the curtains on one bedroom were opened once,” said Carnegie.

“All the rest of them, all the time, the curtains were closed and the windows in the garage were also covered, so you couldn’t see into the house from any direction.”

He said it also stood out that Dueck lived right beside the towns’ only daycare, adding that no matter where you live in town, it’s so small that you’d be in close proximity.

“But he’s like right next door!” he said loudly, making people’s heads turn at the local arena where breakfast was being served.

Carnegie said a friend who tried to contact RCMP was told Dueck won’t be back, which made him chuckle out of disbelief.

“I’ve heard that before. I heard that when they took him away back in October that he won’t be back,” he added. “Well, 23 of December he was back, I knew he was back, I could see him across the street, and he was there for a month.”

Dueck is in police custody. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 8, 2017.