An assault causing bodily harm charge against a Parry sound OPP officer has been dropped.
The Special Investigations Unit confirmed that information today.
See: Parry sound cop charged with assault
The crown withdrew their charge against Constable Brandon Catcher this week.
On June 20, 2016, Catcher was dispatched to an address on Albert Street in Parry Sound to arrest a 39-year-old man. During the arrest, there was an interaction between the officer and the man. The man sustained an injury that required treatment.
In November of 2016, the SIU laid a charge of assault causing bodily harm against Constable Catcher. The charge against the officer was withdrawn on February 2, 2017.
SIU Communications Coordinator Monica Hudon defended laying the original charge saying, "The Director of the SIU is mandated under the Police Services Act to direct the laying of charges if there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has been committed. Once charges are laid, the Crown takes carriage of the matter. The decision to withdraw or stay a charge is made by the Crown, and subject to the Crown Policy charge screening requirements set by the Ministry of the Attorney General. The Crown is required to assess the evidence against the standard of a reasonable prospect of conviction, which is a higher standard than reasonable grounds to lay a charge."