RCMP dog handler charged with assault after dog bites suspect in Abbotsford – DeathInTown

Article content

An RCMP dog handler has been charged with assault for he and his dog’s involvement in the arrest of a man inside an Abbotsford home.

Article content

According to the Independent Investigations Office, police were called to the home on the 2000-block of Center Street at around 11 a.m. on July 12, 2020. Police were told that the man had barricaded himself inside the home and that a child was present.

Article content

“During the interaction, a police dog and RCMP officer from the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Service were used to assist in taking the man into custody,” the IIO stated on Feb. 21, 2021. “The man sustained serious but not life-threatening dog bite injuries and was taken to a local area hospital for treatment.”

The IIO subsequently determined the officer may have committed offences related to the use of a police service dog during the arrest. This information was then passed onto to the B.C. Prosecution Service to decide whether any charges should be laid.

On Thursday, BCPS spokesperson Dan McLaughlin said that RCMP Const. Simon Courtoreille had been charged with assault causing bodily harm related to the arrest.

Courtoreille is scheduled to appear in Abbotsford Provincial court on Nov. 14.