VICTORIA – A special prosecutor has approved criminal charges of assault against Victoria police Sgt. George Chong.
Chong is accused of assaulting a 33-year-old man inside the jail cells at police headquarters during the booking-in process on Jan 15. The man, who was arrested for violating court conditions, suffered facial injuries that required hospital treatment.
Vancouver lawyer Mark Jette was appointed as the special prosecutor to look into whether criminal charges were warranted.
A special prosecutor was required to avoid the appearance of undue influence in the investigation, since Chong is the brother of provincial cabinet minister Ida Chong. The Vancouver police department had handled the criminal investigation.
The charge was sworn Tuesday in court and Chong will make his next appearance Aug. 4.
Chong has been suspended with pay since January.
This is not the first time Chong has faced assault allegations. He pleaded guilty to an off-duty assault that occurred in June 2008, which resulted in a written reprimand from Victoria police. A provincial court judge handed Chong a conditional discharge and nine months’ probation, as well as ordering him to undergo anger-management counselling.
Chong is a 28-year veteran of the force. He was the sergeant tasked with monitoring civilian staff in the jail, a policy implemented by Chief Jamie Graham in January 2009 to increase oversight and prevent abuse of force.
The department has been plagued by several high-profile abuse of force allegations.
In 2008, Willow Kinloch successfully sued the department after she was tethered and restrained while drunk in police cells in 2005 when she was 15.
The same year, the department settled out of court with Camosun College student Thomas McKay, who suffered permanent head injuries when he was thrown to the concrete floor while handcuffed in 2004.
Two Victoria police officers are facing assault charges in after allegations they used excessive force against two brothers, Jeffrey and Trevor Meyers, who were arrested in October 2008 for public intoxication.
In June, Graham announced the department had hired former Ottawa police chief Vince Bevan to probe the operations in the jail cells.
kderosa@tc.canwest.com
- ‘A big green light to cut’: What to expect from the Bank of Canada this week
- Requirements simplified for bringing dogs into U.S. from rabies-free, low-risk countries
- Baby cereal recalled in Canada due to rare bacterial illness concerns
- Kamala Harris’ Canada connection: Why her US presidential run makes ‘perfect sense’ for some
Comments