ONION LAKE – An Onion Lake Cree Nation man convicted of manslaughter in the death of his brother-in-law in 2018 is back on statutory pre-release after his day parole was revoked last year.
Dakota Dean Whitstone, now 26, must return to the half-way house every night and isn’t approved for overnight leaves. The July Parole Board of Canada (PBC) decision comes after his day parole was revoked in November 2024 following new criminal charges in May 2024 including forcible confinement, overcome resistance (drugs) and sexual assault, and four counts of escape or being unlawfully at large.
“The Board does not authorize leave privileges at this time,” read parole documents. “In light of your continued institutional misconduct, the seriousness of the outstanding charges, and your demonstrated inability to comply with conditions while on community supervision; the Board finds that leave privileges are not appropriate.”
Whitsone is scheduled back in court in November on the new charges.
He had been granted day parole in April 2024 but it was suspended following an incident in June 2024 when police found him shoeless, shirtless, and intoxicated, lying in the middle of a highway causing a traffic disruption, according to parole documents.
Whitstone admitted to his parole supervisor that he had gone out with an old friend and some “girls came by” and he hung out with them. He said while riding in a car he got into a fight with his friend and he either got kicked out of the car, or jumped out on his own. He then started jumping in front of vehicles on the highway.
The parole board also said it had concerns about Whitstone’s institutional behaviour after his day parole was revoked. He was found to have a jail-made syringe and jail-made alcohol, as well as methamphetamine.
The Board said it had concerns once Whitstone is on statutory release because he plans to reside with a woman who has underage females living in the home, and while she doesn’t express concern, his case manager is concerned given his outstanding new criminal charges of forcible confinement and sexual assault.
Whitstone was initially charged with second-degree murder but in September 2020 he pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter. In November 2020, he was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison. He was given 25.5 months credit for time served while on remand awaiting trial.
Court previously heard that in August 2018, after a night of drinking, Whitstone stabbed his brother-in-law, 28-year-old Tyson Blair Crosschild from the Blood Tribe, several times in the arm, chest and back. One of the stab wounds went through his ribs and pierced his heart.
Parole documents indicate Whitstone has suffered intergenerational trauma with members of his family having attended residential school. His mother died from a drug overdose when he was nine years old. He moved in with his grandmother and she died within a year so he returned to Onion Lake Cree Nation to be closer to his siblings where he was the victim of physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse.
Parole documents also reveal that Whitstone was a member of a street gang but he said he left the gang when he went to prison.
