EDMONTON — Alberta’s police watchdog says it has charged an Edmonton Police Service officer with sexual assault, breach of trust and unauthorized computer use.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said Thursday that it began investigating Const. Hunter Robinz after an alleged assault in June 2019.
ASIRT says the suspect, who was in uniform and on duty, allegedly went back to the home of a 24-year-old woman he met earlier during a service call and "a sexual assault occurred."
It says it also found evidence that between March 2017 and June 2019 the same officer allegedly contacted women while on duty and breached the standard of responsibility and conduct required as a police officer.
ASIRT says the suspect allegedly accessed secure databases for names and addresses unrelated to his duties as an officer.
Robinz was arrested Wednesday and also faces two counts of breach of trust.
The police service said in a release that Robinz has been relieved from duty without pay. It noted that he was also charged on March 13 by RCMP with assault and unsafe storage of a firearm in an unrelated off-duty incident that allegedly took place in Stony Plain, Alta.
Edmonton police said when the service became aware of the sexual assault allegation against Robinz he was immediately removed from face-to-face dealings with the public pending the results of the ASIRT investigation.
The release said that due to the pending Criminal Code prosecutions and Professional Standards Branch investigation, it will make no further comment at this time.
Robinz was released on an undertaking with conditions and is to appear in Edmonton provincial court on Jan. 25, 2022.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2021.
The Canadian Press
