A member of the Edmonton Police Service has been charged with sexual assault in what Alberta’s police watchdog referred to as an alleged off-duty incident.
The officer is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Canmore, Alta., on Jan. 11.
“The evidence gathered during ASIRT’s (Alberta Serious Incident Response Team) investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offence had been committed,” ASIRT said in a news release issued on Wednesday.
The investigation was forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) to determine whether the evidence meets the standard for prosecution, as is required by the Police Act.
ASIRT executive director Susan Hughson made the determination that the officer should be charged after reviewing the investigation and receiving the opinion of ACPS.
On June 27, Const. Stephen Fossen was charged with one count of sexual assault. He’s scheduled to appear in Canmore Provincial Court on Aug. 21.
According to the EPS, Fossen was relieved from duty without pay. He’s been a member of the EPS since 2011.