Swift Current RCMP officer suspended, charged after 2 alleged impaired driving incidents in 1 week
A Saskatchewan RCMP officer of 15 years has been suspended with pay after police say he was caught driving impaired while off duty on two different occasions this week.
Mounties said the first incident happened around 10 p.m. CST Tuesday in Waldeck, around 210 kilometres west of Regina, when officers received a report of an impaired driver.
Const. Kevin Granrude, an RCMP officer of 15 years and member of the Swift Current combined traffic services unit, was arrested on scene, the police force said in a Friday news release.
He was held overnight in police custody before being released on conditions the next day. His licence was suspended and vehicle was impounded.
RCMP say Granrude was pulled over again around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday near Rush Lake, Sask., following a complaint of a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 1.
Police say he failed a breathalyzer test and was arrested again. The vehicle he was driving in that incident was also impounded.
Granrude now faces two charges of impaired driving and another for failing to comply with a demand, police said.
Swift Current RCMP said they are still investigating the second incident and more charges are pending.
Granrude made his first court appearance in Swift Current provincial court via telephone on Thursday. He is due back in court Aug. 18.
A code of conduct investigation is now underway, Saskatchewan RCMP said.
"I understand hearing about incidents like this is very concerning to the public," the commanding officer for Saskatchewan RCMP said in Friday's news release.
"I too share these concerns," said Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore. "These are not the standards we hold our police officers and employees to. The Saskatchewan RCMP will ensure these matters are thoroughly investigated."
Granrude has been suspended with pay as the RCMP continues to review available disciplinary measures, the news release said.
