Lake Cowichan cop guilty of on-duty assault
Lake Cowichan RCMP Const. Kevan Cranmer received nine months’ probation after pleading guilty to assault today.
Cranmer entered his guilty plea and was sentenced at the Nanaimo Law Courts.
His probation conditions include completing 50 hours of community work service by March 2012, and he was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of $50.
The sentence includes a conditional discharge, which means it will be automatically expunged from Cranmer’s record after three years.
The assault conviction stems from an incident that occurred while Cranmer was on duty in Lake Cowichan on Dec. 13, 2010.
Police said in June that the charge related to “an interaction with a female driver (Cranmer) had detained in an impaired driving investigation.”
A criminal investigation was initiated after another RCMP member reported observing Cranmer using what he believed was excessive force.
The circumstances surrounding the incident were forwarded to Crown counsel for review, and one count of assault was approved early this summer.
“The female, who was not seriously injured, did not make a complaint,” an RCMP media release dated June 14 states.
The statement also noted Cranmer had 2 1/2 years of service with the force, and was on active duty in Lake Cowichan.
A separate, internal code of conduct investigation into the incident was also launched, but it was unclear by the News Leader Pictorial’s Thursday afternoon deadline whether that investigation has concluded.
What the conviction and sentence will mean for Cranmer’s career with the RCMP is also still unknown.
“Until I find out exactly what the conditions are regarding the sentence, I can’t really comment,” Lake Cowichan Sgt. Dave Voller said.
Check www.cowichannewsleader.com for updates on this story as they become available.
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