A constable with the Edmonton Police Service is heading to trial in December after he was arrested and charged by St. Albert RCMP for sexual assault last March, CBC Edmonton reported today.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mathew Howell confirmed to the Gazette that the St. Albert RCMP received a report of a sexual assault on Feb. 17, 2023, and the 36-year-old EPS officer was then arrested by the RCMP on Mar. 8, 2023. The assault itself is alleged to have taken place in November of 2022, Howell said.
Howell then said the officer was charged with failure to comply with a release order on July 15, 2023, after he allegedly breached a no-contact order with the victim.
“The sexual assault was part of a domestic violence [incident],” Howell said, adding that the alleged sexual assault was reported to the St. Albert RCMP because it took place in St. Albert, and he wasn't able to confirm whether or not the EPS officer is or was a St. Albert resident.
“When it comes to domestic violence we don't [issue releases] in order to protect the identity of the victim, so that's why we didn't report anything on it,” Howell said.
Like what the CBC reported, Howell said that after the officer was arrested, RCMP handed responsibility over to EPS to decide whether or not the public was informed of the charges.
EPS' media relations did not immediately respond to a request for comment, however, EPS spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout told CBC that the force doesn't always issue notices about charges pending against officers.
"Regarding public release of charges against an EPS officer, the EPS reviews these on a case-by-case basis, as it must abide by applicable privacy laws and balance the need for accountability and transparency with consideration for the health and wellness of all people involved," Voordenhout told CBC.
The EPS officer will have a four day trial in December in Edmonton's Court of King's Bench.
