Strathcona County RCMP officer charged with criminal harassment, witness intimidation
A Strathcona County RCMP officer charged in an off-duty assault last year is facing new criminal charges related to ongoing harassment of witnesses to the original 2019 incident, Alberta RCMP said Friday.
Const. Matthew Howson was charged Wednesday with criminal harassment, intimidation of a Crown witness and breach of an undertaking.
"These charges stem from allegations of ongoing harassment of witnesses to the original 2019 incident where Const. Howson entered into an altercation with another member of the public at his residence," RCMP said in a news release.
Howson is due to appear in Sherwood Park provincial court Nov. 4.
He remains suspended with pay while the criminal process proceeds, RCMP said. Once the charges have been resolved, his duty status will be reviewed.
Howson was charged with assault on Sept. 6, 2019, after an investigation into an Aug. 31, 2019, incident at his home.
CBC News confirmed at the time that the alleged victim was not a family member.
In late September 2019, RCMP said Howson had been arrested and charged for coming within 20 metres of the victim's residence, breaching a condition of his previous arrest.
