RCMP officer charged with sexual assault
The province’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has charged Pictou District RCMP Cpl. Gregory Deagle with sexual assault. Deagle will appear in Truro provincial court on March 4. SiRT was contacted on Dec. 28, 2019, by Bible Hill RCMP, regarding an allegation of sexual assault against a female known to the RCMP member. The incident is alleged to have occurred earlier that month. As a result, SiRT commenced an investigation that day. Pat Curran, Interim Director of SiRT, said this case is not related to another recent investigation involving a Pictou District RCMP officer who was accused of sexual assault, but was later cleared of all wrongdoing. “There’s completely no connection whatsoever,” Curran said. “Not the same person, not the same event.” He said the only common connection is the accused were both RCMP officers with the Pictou District RCMP. SiRT is responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police in Nova Scotia. After an investigation concludes, SiRT has up to three months to publish a report summarizing the results of the investigation. Curran declined to release any details on Feb. 12, saying only that they had talked to witnesses. “There appeared to be grounds to lay a charge and that’s what happened,” he said. While charges like this against an RCMP officer aren’t common, he said, they do happen from time to time. RCMP Cpl. Jennifer Clarke confirmed Deagle has been suspended from work with pay.