The RCMP’s Const. Jason Potter has been charged with assault and uttering threats, following an arrest made in Carcross on May 15.
Yukon RCMP laid the charges on June 17, after their investigation had been reviewed by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.
On May 15, two officers responded to a disturbance and took Duke Beattie into custody.
Beattie was charged with breaching his bail conditions and threatening both agents who responded to the call, Constable Daniel Rouleau and Potter. He was also charged with resisting Rouleau and threatening Meghan Potter, the agent’s wife.
Yukon RCMP said that Potter “reported to his detachment commander that he was involved in an incident while transporting the prisoner” after the arrest, and that Potter’s report triggered the investigation.
Potter was the lead investigator in the Beattie case.
The Crown later withdrew Beattie’s charges pertaining to threatening Potter, his wife and Rouleau on May 22.
Potter has been with the force for five years. He started out in Whitehorse and was assigned to the Carcross detachment in February 2013.
He has been assigned to administrative duties, in Carcross.
A code of conduct investigation has also been launched. That investigation will decide whether Potter should remain on the force.
To avoid any conflict of interest, a prosecutor from British Columbia will be flown in, said Noel Sinclair, the Yukon’s general counsel for Public Prosecution Service of Canada.
“We want to ensure is that not only is justice is done, but it seen to be done fairly and impartially,” Sinclair said.
“To remove any potential notion that Const. Potter is being treated differently because of his past connection to this office, we retain somebody who doesn’t have a connection with the detachment member.”
Potter is scheduled to appear in court in Carcross on July 28.