Pembroke police officer charged in incident

Source: The Observer
A Pembroke Police officer has been suspended with pay after being charged with impaired driving.

Following an investigation, Constable Shawn Piercey has also been charged with having care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired and causing a disturbance in a public place.

In the early morning hours of April 4, officers from the Pembroke Police Service were called to an incident at the Irving Big Stop. Upon arrival it was determined two individuals had been involved in a disturbance. One of the parties involved was off-duty officer Const. Piercey.


The department conducted an internal investigation and forwarded the results to the Belleville Police Service for an independent review and determination if criminal charges were warranted. Following the review of the facts in the case, Const. Piercey was arrested April 22 by the Belleville Police Service. He was subsequently released on a promise to appear and is scheduled to be in Pembroke court May 25.

Pembroke Police Chief Dave Hawkins commented on the charges in a statement released Thursday.

"When a police officer is the subject of criminal charges it is not only a very unfortunate situation for the officer, but for the Police service as well," he wrote. "It is my belief that the public we serve holds police officers to a higher standard and accountability. In light of that, I feel it was incumbent on our police service to ensure that a fair and transparent investigation was conducted.

"It was at the conclusion of this investigation that charges were subsequently brought forward against Const. Piercey," Chief Hawkins The involved officer, a 10-year veteran of the service, is currently suspended with pay pursuant to the Police Services Act of Ontario."

The Professional Standards Bureau from another outside agency has agreed to conduct an investigation with respect to any potential breaches of the Police Services Act.