An Ontario Provincial Police officer convicted of multiple criminal offences has been dismissed after years of being on paid leave.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique says Const. Jason Redmond of the Leeds County detachment was terminated Thursday after abandoning his appeal to overturn a dismissal order.
The Brockville Recorder and Times previously reported that Redmond, who had been suspended, was on paid leave since 2015 stemming from drug trafficking investigation, and he was recently found guilty of sexual assault.
An adjudicator ordered the constable to be dismissed from the OPP but Redmond appealed, meaning he could still collect his salary.
The case raised questions for provincial legislators earlier this year as they had yet to put into effect an overhaul of a policing law that allows suspended officers to receive pay even if they’re charged or convicted of a serious offence, unless they are sentenced to prison.
The OPP has said it has been trying to dismiss the constable since his first conviction, and Carrique says today that Redmond’s “corrupt” behaviour undermines the conduct and professionalism of provincial officers.