Fired Moose Jaw officer Alan Murdock has withdrawn his appeal of dismissal
Just days before a contentious hearing was set to begin, former Moose Jaw police officer Alan Murdock has withdrawn his appeal against his firing, according to hearing officer Jay Watson.
The hearing, which was scheduled to start Tuesday morning, "has been abandoned," said Watson in an email.
Murdock was fired by police chief Rick Bourassa on June 19, 2019. In a six-page notice of dismissal, the chief laid out 25 allegations against the officer dating back to the 1990s.
When reached on the phone months ago, Murdock said the allegations were "false." His appeal application said the chief's decision to fire him was "excessive, unwarranted, unnecessary and inappropriate."
In an internal email sent Thursday, the chief said "Alan Murdock withdrew his appeal of his dismissal this afternoon. We are busy contacting everyone who has been involved."
The police have said they had witnesses who could back up many of the allegations made.
"Everything in my notice of dismissal was accurate and was not false allegations," Bourassa said when reached by phone Thursday. "Supported by evidence."
Bourassa said that while the appeal has been withdrawn, information about some of the allegations may still come out because "some of the matters aren't concluded yet."
He said he wasn't able to answer any further questions, but promised to say more on Friday morning.
CBC reached out to Murdock and his lawyer to ask about why he withdrew his appeal. No one has yet returned those calls.
