Dawn Walker pleads not guilty to nine charges

A Saskatoon woman accused of abducting her son and illegally taking him across the U.S. border after faking their deaths has pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Dawn Walker, 48, is facing nine charges including forging a passport, possession of forged documents, abduction in contravention of a custody order and public mischief.

Her pickup truck was found abandoned in a park outside of Saskatoon in July, prompting an extensive search of the South Saskatchewan River and surrounding areas. Walker and her son were found two weeks later in Oregon City by American law enforcement officers and were both returned to Canada.

Walker and her lawyer, Tara Boghosian, both appeared by telephone in a Saskatoon courtroom Thursday morning. Walker has elected a trial by judge alone in provincial court, and the trial is expected to run as long as three weeks.

According to senior Crown prosecutor Lee Hnatiuk, a case management hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15 but it won’t be open to the public or media. Walker’s next public court appearance was set for Feb. 16.