Saint John police sergeant charged with sexual assault, Mountie with domestic assault, watchdog says
CBC
Two New Brunswick police officers will face criminal charges in court next week, following separate investigations by the Serious Incident Response Team into allegations of sexual assault and domestic assault.
A Saint John Police Force sergeant with 37 years of service has been charged with sexual assault and breach of public trust, the force announced in a news release Tuesday.
He is scheduled to appear in Saint John provincial court on Nov. 13.
Meanwhile, a constable with the New Brunswick RCMP has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of uttering threats, according to a news release from SIRT.
He is scheduled to appear in Saint John provincial court on Nov. 13 and Moncton provincial court on Nov. 17.
SIRT investigates all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters determined to be of a public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer on or off duty.
The agency investigates matters in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
On Feb. 20, the Saint John police professional standards unit received a public complaint against a Saint John officer, the force said in its news release.
On Feb. 24, as a result of the initial investigation and because of the nature of the allegations, the matter was referred to SIRT, said Staff Sgt. Sarah Hobbs.
It was "an historical allegation," according to SIRT, but no date or other details, including information about the alleged victim, are provided.
SIRT completed its investigation Sept. 2. In her report Tuesday, director Erin Nauss said she determined "there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe that [the sergeant] committed criminal offences."
As a result, the sergeant was charged Tuesday with sexual assault and breach of public trust and released on an undertaking, according to the force.
He will be suspended, pending the criminal proceedings, Hobbs said. A New Brunswick Police Act investigation will follow, she said.
“The Saint John Police hold our members to the highest standard of accountability," Chief Robert Bruce said in a statement. "Complaints are taken very seriously and are thoroughly investigated."
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