News Release
Former Sault Ste. Marie Police Officer Charged
Case Number: 15-OSA-025
Mississauga (28 May, 2015) --- The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has reasonable grounds to believe that a former Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer committed criminal offences in relation to incidents involving multiple males over a six year period in the 1980s. Director Loparco has caused charges to be laid against the officer.
On February 2, 2015, the SIU was contacted by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service regarding sexual assault allegations against one of its former members. As the SIU investigation progressed, additional complainants were identified. The probe determined that the alleged incidents against four males occurred between the years of 1981 and 1987.
As a result of SIU investigations, Constable David Scott, who is now an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police Espanola Satellite Office (Sudbury), is facing the following Criminal Code charges:
• Two counts of Indecent Assault, contrary to s. 156
• Four counts of Gross Indecency, contrary to s. 157
• Three counts of Sexual Assault, contrary to s. 246.1(1)
The officer is required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at 426 Queen Street East in Sault Ste. Marie on July 6, 2015. The Justice Prosecutions branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General will have carriage of the prosecution.
As this matter is now before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused and the community, the SIU will make no further comment pertaining to this investigation.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations