A charge has been approved against a Penticton RCMP officer alleged to be involved in a motor vehicle fatality in September of 2015.
Const. Ace Stewart was charged today (Sept. 9) with driving without due care and attention contrary to the Motor Vehicle Act. His first appearance in the case has been scheduled for Oct. 12 at the Penticton courthouse according to a press release sent out by the Criminal Justice Branch.
Const. Stewart was not on duty when the vehicle he was operating is alleged to have struck and killed a five-year-old boy who was walking across the intersection of Highway 97 and Green Mountain Road. (Read more: Penticton boy remembered as a beautiful young man)
Stewart is a veteran member of the RCMP with more than 20 years of service in the force and has been recognized for his work on several occasions.
The chief civilian director of the IIO reported in a press release on Aug. 11 that under Section 38.11 of the Police Act, the police watchdog has forwarded a report to Crown counsel to consider charges. The IIO noted the threshold for referring charges to Crown is lower for their organization than other law enforcement agencies in B.C.