Twenty-year-old Niverville resident Will Nepinak Funk is in police custody after an early morning break-and-enter resulted in the stabbing of a second Niverville man.
At approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 15, Mitch Dux was awoken by his step-daughter Dokiah who’d witnessed noises and movement coming from the detached garage in their backyard. Initially the intruder fled the yard, possibly alarmed by the flashlight Dokiah had used while navigating the house in the dark, but he returned minutes later, entering the garage’s side door.
Dux admits that little forethought went into his decision to confront the intruder. The garage had been broken into five or six times before, and he and his wife Brenda were already suspicious of the identity of the person responsible for those break-ins. This time, Dux says, he wanted to catch him in the act.
“I went out to the garage and [my step-son] was behind me,” says Dux. “The door was open, so I said, ‘You’ve been caught. Might as well come out. There’s no use hiding. I’ve called the cops.’”
Dux says it took a few moments for the prowler to make an appearance but when he exited the garage Dux caught hold of his sweater, attempting to detain him until the police arrived. Scared, the young man reacted, winding up for what Dux thought was a punch to his abdomen. The man wriggled free only to be wrestled down by Dux’s step-son, Rory. Only then did Dux stop to register the abdominal pain and blood stain on his shirt.
“I was on the deck talking to 911 and that’s when he realized he was stabbed,” says Brenda.
Dux recalls ordering his step-son to let the young man go, lest he also fall victim to the same violence. The man fled, taking the weapon with him but dropping his cell phone en route, its flashlight app still beaming in the grass.
The couple were amazed at the RCMP’s quick response, on scene within approximately ten minutes of the call. Moments later, paramedics arrived who quickly called in the STARS air ambulance, unsure of the severity of Dux’s injury. He was transported by air to the Health Sciences Centre where he underwent a CT scan which indicated internal bleeding, a graze to his lower ribcage, and a torn stomach muscle, but no damage to vital organs. A screwdriver is suspected as the weapon.
During this time, the RCMP brought in the K9 unit. The abandoned cell phone was all the trained dog needed to catch a scent and trace Nepinak back to his home just blocks away.
The Duxes say they were correct in their assumption of the thief’s identity and saddened all the same. Mitch had worked with the young man years earlier and remembers him as a quiet and likeable kid. In their mind, the man thought highly of Mitch and wouldn’t have attempted the break-ins had he known the Duxes resided there.
“[It’s rumoured that] the previous tenant here was dealing drugs,” says Mitch. “So maybe he thought that he still lived here.”
Just two weeks later, Dux was cautiously back at work, taking it slow and careful. Brenda and her daughter have suffered emotionally, dealing with occasional nightmares and anxiety.
“I’m totally paranoid,” says Brenda. “I hear every little noise [at night and wonder] if I should even go check.”
Mitch also confesses that he was spooked by the incident and visually scans the garage now before entering.
The couple recognizes that there is more to the young man than the crime he is responsible for and hope that he receives the help he needs to get back on track.
“I don’t hold any grudge against him,” says Mitch.
Since Dux’s release from hospital, the family has been inundated with responses from neighbours and the community, receiving gifts of meals and well-wishes from complete strangers.
When asked what he’d do differently, Dux says, “I would stay in the house and call the RCMP.”
Nepinak’s mother says she was shocked at the discovery of her son’s crime. She recognizes that he’s in need of professional intervention but is concerned that little is available.
“He wishes he could redo that day,” she says. “He is waiting to hear about treatment, but it takes a long time. Sadly, our system works on reactive and not proactive [responses] and I was told, because he is a very well-behaved person, he does not qualify for some programming. The programs are geared more for the hardened [criminals]. We love him dearly and will walk alongside him through this.”
Sgt. Gravel of the St. Pierre RCMP was unavailable for comment.
