A Prince Albert RCMP member has been charged as Prince Albert police investigate the death of a 26-year-old man.
Police said they were called out to a wooded area within the city on Tuesday evening for a report of a deceased man. Police are investigating the death of Braden Herman, 26, as a homicide. An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday in Saskatoon.
Bernie Herman, 52, has been charged with first-degree murder. The 32-year member of the RCMP was not on duty at the time of the incident, police said.
Saskatchewan RCMP said it has processes in place to handle conduct issues including those as serious as the arrest announced on Wednesday.
“Public trust is essential for the RCMP to effectively serve and protect Canadians … As a result, RCMP employees must conduct themselves in a manner that not only meets, but exceeds, the rightfully high expectations of Canadians,” read an RCMP release.
“The RCMP code of conduct is a group of rules used to ensure that RCMP police officers are responsible and accountable for the promotion and maintenance of good conduct in the force.
“Contraventions to the RCMP code of conduct are taken seriously and a modification to the member’s duty status is currently being processed.”
RCMP said Bernie Herman was a corporal serving with the Prince Albert RCMP traffic services unit when the arrest occurred.
The victim and the accused are known to each other but are not related, police said.
In addition to a wooded area of the city, police have also secured a vehicle and a home in the 3300 block of Dent Crescent as part of this investigation, read a press release.
The accused is expected to make his first appearance in Prince Albert provincial court on Thursday.
-With files from Thomas Piller