A local man has been charged with unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon, kidnapping, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for purposes dangerous to the public.

The charges come after M-division RCMP officers located two missing people south of Whitehorse last Wednesday. The major crimes unit and air services were used to find the two, who were taken to Whitehorse General Hospital.

Initially, police provided scant detail about the situation after the two were found.

A portion of the Alaska Highway was closed after they were found in a highway rest area. Police said early Friday that measure was precautionary.

In an updated media release Friday afternoon, issued after the Star's press time, M-division police said when they arrived at the scene, a woman was being held against her will with a weapon.

'Police were able to negotiate a peaceful resolution and successfully defused the situation,' the media release states.

They found the man had pre-existing minor injuries. He stayed at the hospital overnight for observation while the woman was treated and released.

In their earlier statement, police had simply stated: 'As a precautionary measure, police temporarily closed a section of the Alaska Highway to contain the area. As a result, the police were able to successfully locate both missing individuals.'

Court documents allege the woman was sexually assaulted with scissors last Tuesday and confined without lawful authority.

Between last Tuesday and Thursday, the court papers read, in Whitehorse or elsewhere in the territory, the Whitehorse woman was kidnapped with the intent of causing her to be confined against her will. She was also assaulted with a knife, court documents say.

Mitchell Stewart Leblanc, 37, has been charged and remanded into custody until his next court appearance this Wednesday.