Two police officers in New Brunswick are set to face criminal charges in court next week after investigations by the Serious Incident Response Team revealed allegations of sexual assault and domestic assault. A sergeant from the Saint John Police Force with 37 years of service is facing charges of sexual assault and breach of public trust. The sergeant is scheduled to appear in Saint John provincial court on Nov. 13. Additionally, a constable from the New Brunswick RCMP has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of uttering threats. This constable is set to appear in Saint John provincial court on Nov. 13 and Moncton provincial court on Nov. 17.
Erin Nauss, the director of the Serious Incident Response Team, stated that based on separate investigations by the independent civilian-led agency, there are reasonable grounds to believe that both officers committed criminal offenses. SIRT looks into cases involving death, serious injury, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, or other matters deemed of public interest related to the actions of police officers on or off duty. The agency conducts investigations in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
The Saint John police professional standards unit received a public complaint against a Saint John officer on Feb. 20, leading to a referral to SIRT on Feb. 24 due to the historical nature of the allegations. The investigation concluded on Sept. 2, with director Erin Nauss determining that the sergeant had committed criminal offenses. The sergeant was charged with sexual assault and breach of public trust and released on an undertaking. The officer will be suspended pending the criminal proceedings, with a subsequent investigation under the New Brunswick Police Act to follow. Chief Robert Bruce emphasized the importance of accountability and thorough investigation of complaints within the Saint John Police Force.
In a separate case, the RCMP’s J Division contacted SIRT on July 15 regarding allegations of domestic assault by a Mountie. Following an investigation, SIRT determined that there were reasonable grounds to believe the constable had committed criminal offenses. The constable was charged with assault and uttering threats in Moncton on Nov. 3 and with a second count of assault in Saint John on Nov. 4. SIRT refrained from providing further comments on the investigation as the matter is now before the courts.