New Brunswick RCMP corporal charged with trying to solicit minor for sexual offence

New Brunswick’s police watchdog is investigating after an RCMP officer was charged with a sex crime involving a minor.

RCMP in New Brunswick say in a news release Cpl. Jeremy Bastarache has been charged with communicating with someone for the purpose of committing a sexual offence toward a person “whom he believed to be under 16 years old.”

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Police say Bastarache appeared in court on Tuesday and has been suspended with pay.

RCMP say they referred the case to the watchdog, called the Serious Incident Response Team, after they discovered what the corporal had allegedly done.

The watchdog supported the investigation into Bastarache by overseeing the RCMP’s integrated child exploitation and digital forensics units.

The RCMP say these types of investigations are “extremely challenging” for victims, the public, and other police officers who work to protect people.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2024.