LLOYDMINSTER — A 38-year-old Saskatchewan RCMP officer charged with breach of trust in the death of a 68-year-old man near Lloydminster last year had his first scheduled appearance in Lloydminster Provincial Court on Dec. 11.
According to court documents, the Crown is proceeding by indictment, the more serious form of the charge.
An agent for his defence lawyer appeared on the officer’s behalf, who wasn’t present in court.
The matter was adjourned at request of the defence to January to enter an election.
The officer was charged in November after a lengthy investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). According to RCMP, at about 7:14 a.m. on April 3, 2024, Maidstone RCMP received a call requesting a wellness check on a man after a relative had been told he was possibly deceased in the R.M. of Britannia. The call was dispatched to an on-call officer at the Maidstone RCMP detachment, but he didn’t immediately respond.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the relative contacted RCMP again for an update. Nine minutes later, the original officer assigned to the case left the detachment.
At 5:01 p.m., a different relative who had gone to the rural property called police to report the man was seriously injured but alive. RCMP officers arrived shortly after, and the man was taken to hospital by EMS, where he later died.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
