A former Mountie in central Alberta has been given a conditional sentence for a breach of trust conviction.
Jason Tress was found guilty of the charge in September but not guilty of sexual assault with a weapon.
His six-month conditional sentence includes 24-hour house arrest for the first 45 days followed by a curfew from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for the remainder.
The former constable will be able to continue working at his current job while serving his sentence, which also includes community service.
Tress was charged after a woman reported that a Mountie made comments about her breasts on May 1, 2016, while questioning her inside a Red Deer, Alta., apartment bedroom in regards to a domestic dispute.
The woman, who was 19 at the time, testified that she asked Tress multiple times to step aside so she could leave.
Queen’s Bench Justice David Gates had previously called his actions “somewhat predatory” and that he made highly offensive and inappropriate comments about the woman’s appearance.
READ MORE: Alberta RCMP officer found guilty of breach of trust, not guilty of sexual assault
Tress told court on Tuesday that he regrets that his actions have brought shame to himself, his family and his former RCMP colleagues.
He also said that he hoped his actions will not deter the woman from going to police in the future regarding domestic violence issues.
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Gates expressed doubt about whether Tress was sincere with his regret but also gave him some words of encouragement.
“You will recover. You will get over this,” he told Tress in court.
“I hope in time this experience will be recalled as something that led you to turn things around and to make some changes in your life that will make you a productive, better man, better husband, better father.”
Tress was initially placed on paid leave but was put on leave without pay in 2017. He resigned from the RCMP in the fall.
Last June, Tress was found not guilty of sexual assault and breach of trust in relation to a complaint filed by a woman from July 1, 2016, in Red Deer.
He is to stand trial in May on one count of sexual assault in relation to an incident that occurred in 2012.
The Canadian Press/rdnewsNOW
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