Fort Saskatchewan RCMP officer charged in relation to 2021 incident with squatter

A Fort Saskatchewan RCMP officer is being charged for a 2021 incident involving a squatter.

Const. Justin Forster faces the charge of assault causing bodily harm after an altercation occurred between the officer and a squatter whom he was trying to remove from a vacant property on June 6, 2021, according to RCMP.

The adult male squatter refused to identify himself at the time of the incident and was placed under arrest for obstruction, according to an RCMP news release Monday.

The man became “combative” and, after the use of Tasers proved ineffective, “an interaction occurred between the male and one of the officers,” reads the release.

Community peace officers and people nearby helped the officer and the man was taken into custody, then to hospital for treatment of his injuries, said police.

Forster, who has served three years with the RCMP, has been on administrative duty since the incident while an investigation by Alberta RCMP has been conducted. His “duty status” will be reviewed following a criminal trial for his charge.

The RCMP said the director of law enforcement was notified of the incident on June 6, 2021, and deemed the matter to be “in scope” of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, but advised it would remain with the Alberta RCMP to investigate.