A two-year member of the Saint John Police Force is facing assault charges after the conclusion of an excessive force investigation conducted by the Fredericton Police Force.
Const. Benaiah Sok has been charged with assault causing bodily harm and will appear in court on Feb. 7, 2022.
The investigation began after a public complaint was made. A spokesperson from the Fredericton Police Force said it stems from an incident in the early morning hours of Aug. 22 in uptown Saint John.
It was alleged Sok used excessive force while attempting to place someone under arrest.
The complaint was forwarded to Fredericton police on Sept. 3 for an external investigation. The province does not have a serious incident response team to investigate cases involving police.
In a news release, Saint John police said Sok has been reassigned to administrative duties with no public contact, pending the criminal proceedings.
“Once the criminal court proceedings have concluded, a Police Act investigation will follow,” the statement noted.
Saint John Police Chief Robert Bruce was quoted as saying the force considers complaints of excessive force “very serious.”
“Our members are trained to respond using the National Use of Force Framework and we hold them to the highest standard of accountability in this respect,” he said.
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