Officer Don Moore Charged with Assault

A Barrie city police officer has been charged with assault causing body harm in connection with injuries a woman received last May.

Det.-Const. Don Moore, a 38-year-old officer, who has been on the Barrie Police Service since September 2000, was charged following a probe by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).

"It's an allegation of excessive force during an arrest," said Barrie Deputy Police Chief Steve Rogers, who said the incident took place in the Dunlop Street/Maple Avenue area in the the city's downtown.

Moore has been suspended, with pay, from the police force.

"The officer was on duty and the woman was being investigated by police at the time," said John Yoannou of the SIU.

"The nature and extent of the injuries (to the woman) will form part of the evidence to be presented at the trial," he added.

The charge arises from the SIU's investigation of injuries sustained by a 34-year-old Barrie woman on May 16, 2008.

According to information released by city police on that date, a local woman was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

An officer on patrol saw a woman who appeared to be engaged in prostitution. The officer investigated and determined she had lied about her identity -- because she had outstanding warrants for failing to attend court and to be fingerprinted.

She was arrested and charged on the outstanding warrants, and for obstructing police.

Based on the results of the SIU investigation, director Ian Scott concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed the offence of assault causing bodily harm, contrary to section 267(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Moore is to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie on Jan. 5, 2009. The Justice Prosecutions branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General will be responsible for conducting the prosecution.

The SIU is a civilian agency that investigates cases of serious injuries (including allegations of sexual assault) and deaths involving the police.

Pursuant to section 113 of the Police Services Act, the director of the SIU is mandated to consider whether a criminal offence has been committed by an officer(s) in connection with the incident under investigation and, where warranted by the evidence, to cause a criminal charge or charges to be laid against the officer( s).

The director reports the results of investigations to the Attorney General.