Prince George RCMP officers face charges

PRINCE GEORGE—The B.C. Prosecution Service has approved charges against three Prince George RCMP officers involved in the arrest of two individuals four years ago.

On Feb.18th, 2016 two suspects were arrested by PG RCMP in a residential neighbourhood. The case was investigated by the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), which subsequently submitted a report to Crown Counsel in June of 2018.

An Information charging Cst. Joshua Grafton with assault, assault with a weapon, and obstruction of justice was sworn on June 8, 2020, and a separate Information charging Cst. Wayne Connell and St. Kyle Sharpe with assault causing bodily harm was also sworn on June 8, 2020.

The B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) says that the charge assessment process in this case was significantly delayed due to the complexity of the issues, the volume of initial disclosure, BCPS requests for further information, and subsequent receipt for additional disclosure.