HALIFAX — The mayor of Bridgewater, N.S., says the police chief in his town has been placed on leave while investigators looks into allegations of sexual assault and obstruction of justice made against him.
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team, or SIRT, announced earlier this month it was investigating information from an outside police force alleging the incident involved a teenaged girl.
David Walker, the mayor of Bridgewater, confirmed Monday that Chief John Collyer is the person being investigated and that he was placed on administrative leave by the community's police commission several weeks ago.
Walker described his reaction as one of shock and surprise at the allegation, adding that Collyer has been a long-serving and respected officer in the local force.
He said he's hoping that the investigation by the SIRT team will help clarify what has occurred and the information will be forwarded rapidly to the police commission.
No charges have been laid in the case.
