Retired Calgary police officer charged with assault in 2018 incident

The Calgary Police Service has charged a retired officer with assault after an incident last year, according to a Wednesday news release.

On Dec. 4, 2018, at around 1:20 a.m., an officer patrolling 7 Avenue S.W. between 3 Street S.W. and 2 Street S.W. saw a man lying on the ground kicking the doors of a business, police said.

It’s alleged the officer assaulted the man before taking him into custody for public intoxication.

The alleged assault was reported to police. The CPS Professional Standards Section conducted an investigation and consulted with the Edmonton Crown Prosecutor’s Office, where a charge of assault was recommended.

On Oct. 29, 2019, Eric Levesque was arrested and charged with one count of assault. He retired in August 2019 after being on the force for 29 years, according to police.

At the time of the alleged assault, he was working as a patrol officer in District 1.