CORNWALL, Ont. – A Cornwall police officer is facing a criminal charge after an investigation in Brockville.
Const. Daniel Merpaw is facing one count of obstructing a police officer.
Merpaw was charged late last week by Brockville officers and later released with a promise to appear in court in Brockville on Sept. 2, 2016.
In an interview with Cornwall Newswatch, Cornwall Police Chief Dan Parkinson deferred questions about the investigation to the Brockville Police Service.
Parkinson said Merpaw has been with the force “several years” and assigned to patrol duties.
For now, until the criminal matter is settled, Merpaw is on desk duty.
The chief said they would await the outcome of the criminal proceedings before deciding whether to launch a Police Services Act investigation.
Parkinson was asked about the severity of this on the spectrum of crime.
“Every case has to be weighed on its own merits. This could be described as interfering with an investigation being conducted. This is not a violent crime,” he said.
Brockville police Det. Sgt. Tom Fournier told Cornwall Newswatch the incident happened in May in the City of Brockville while the accused was off duty.
“There are, in relation to that occurrence, there are other matters before the court. There’s three separate court proceedings that may result in it, so I’m limited in what I can say,” Fournier said.
Fournier said there’s at least one other person charged in relation to the May incident and releasing information to the media may prejudice their right to a fair trial.