A Mountie in Fort Saskatchewan was charged with sexual assault Tuesday after a three-month investigation by a civilian-led team that looks into alleged police wrongdoing in Alberta.
Mario Jimenez, a 36-year-old constable working with the RCMP in Fort Saskatchewan for 18 months, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault, said the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
Jimenez was off-duty at the time of the alleged offence that is believed to have happened in November 2008. ASIRT began its investigation “almost immediately” after the complaint was made, said the team’s executive director, Clifton Purvis.
“In order to protect the identity of the victim, who was known to the accused, further details of this incident or the case cannot be disclosed at this time,” said Purvis, who didn’t reveal much to reporters during a news conference yesterday.
Jimenez was relieved of patrol duties and placed in an administrative position at the beginning of the investigation, said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Wayne Oakes.
Oakes says Jimenez is still working in that position after being released on court-ordered conditions.
The offence is alleged to have occurred near Morinville, about 35 kilometres north of Edmonton, said Purvis. Purvis wouldn’t comment on if the alleged offence happened in the community or in a rural location outside of town.
ASIRT teams investigate cases by combining current police officers with civilians with investigative experience.
