2 senior Brandon officers charged with obstruction, put on paid leave

Two veteranBrandon police officersface obstruction charges inconnection with a bar brawl that took place in the western Manitoba city in 2014.

Deputy chief DannySmythof the Winnipeg Police Service saysprovincial justice officials asked the forceto conduct an investigationafter a man alleged that he had been assaulted by a Brandon Police Serviceofficer at a local bar in November2014.

Members of the WPSProfessional Standards Unit investigated the claims beginning inJanuary2015 and sent their findings onto Manitoba Prosecutions in January of this year.

On Thursday, two 20-year members of the Brandon Police Service were charged:

• Sgt. DallasLockhartwas charged with one count of attempting to obstruct justice and one count of obstructing a police officer.
• Const. ShaneStephensonwas charged with one count of obstructing justice.

Both officers wereput on paid administrative leave and are scheduled to appear in court in Brandon at a later date.

The conduct of the officers wasbrought into questionin connection withtwo separate assault investigations one from July 2014, the otherfrom November 2014.

Stephenson had been assigned to both cases. One of two men taken into police custody in Novemberwas also involved in the July investigation, police said.

Lockhart's charges are only related to the November investigation. Smyth said Lockhart was off-duty when he allegedly"intervened into a matter involving two adult males that had been in the custody of other Brandon police officers."

Thoseofficers Stephenson and two other members of the Brandon Police Servicewere looking into reports of an assault and a disturbance complaint that took place at a hotel and bar in Brandon.The two men who werein custody at the time were connected to those complaints, Smyth said.

Smyth added that the Brandon Police Service has co-operated with the investigation into the two officers.

In a statement, Brandon police said the person who came forward with the assaultcomplaint "had a family relationship with another Brandon Police Service member."

The Independent Investigation Unit,whichinvestigates all serious on- and off-duty incidents involving police officers in Manitoba,had not been formed at the time, which is why Winnipeg police were asked to step in and perform the review, Smyth said.