Ex-officer to stand trial on 2016 charge

Jarett Layne Gelowitz has been committed to stand trial on a charge of assault involving an arrest in 2016 when he was a constable with the Saskatoon Police Service.

Police Chief Troy Cooper announced Monday that Gelowitz had been dismissed from his duties after being deemed “unsuitable for police service.” Gelowitz had been a member of the SPS for 10 years.

At the news conference, it was revealed Gelowitz is also charged with two other on-duty assaults in connection with incidents in January and April 2017.

The preliminary hearing held this week in Saskatoon provincial court was for a charge of assault connected to an on-duty altercation during a stolen vehicle and evading police arrest on Dec. 19, 2016.

The hearing this week determined there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. The evidence presented at the hearing is banned from publication to preserve the accused’s right to a fair trial. Trial dates will eventually be set at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench.

The assault charge was announced in December 2017. The SPS said Gelowitz had been placed on administrative duties following an investigation by the professional standards section. Two of the three assault investigations were prompted by use of force reviews, Cooper said this week.

Gelowitz is expected to appear in court on his other assault charges next month.