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Former Edmonton police officer charged with breach of trust
Staff Sgt. Bill Clark speaks to the media in Edmonton on Saturday, March 1, 2014. A former Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officer is facing charges for unlawfully sharing confidential and investigative information to media outlets. Staff Sergeant William (Bill) Clark was charged with breach of trust on Tuesday, EPS said in a news release. The investigation has oversight from the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) and was reviewed by the Alberta Crown Prosecution Services in Calgary to determine if charges were warranted, EPS said. With the case before the courts, EPS says it can't provide additional information during the investigation. Clark was a member of EPS for 44 years and retired in May 2024.
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
Alberta police watchdog to investigate in-custody death in Fort McMurray
Alberta's police watchdog is investigating after a man died last month in the custody of RCMP in Fort McMurray. In a statement Thursday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said it has been directed to investigate after a man died on April 30 during an attempted arrest by Wood Buffalo RCMP officers. According to ASIRT, police had been called to respond to reports of an intoxicated male in the area of a gas station in the Abasand neighbourhood when a struggle ensued between two officers and the man. After being handcuffed, the man went into medical distress. He was brought to hospital where he was declared dead. Fort McMurray is about 430 kilometres north of Edmonton. ASIRT investigators said a review of security camera footage and video captured by RCMP vehicles at the scene indicate that the attempted arrest was witnessed by multiple people, including some who appear to be videotaping the incident. Anyone who witnessed the event, or took video of it, are asked to contact ASIRT. According to a May 1 RCMP news release, police were dispatched to the area of Athabasca Avenue and Abasand Drive at about 4:15 p.m. following reports of man causing a disturbance at a liquor store and outside of a nearby daycare. Officers responded and spoke with the man, but he refused to leave and then resisted arrest, police said. Police attempted life-saving measures before the man was taken to hospital.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
Man dies after arrest in Fort McMurray, ASIRT investigating
A Coaldale RCMP cruiser is shown in an undated photo. Alberta's police watchdog is investigating the death of a man in police custody in northern Alberta. On April 30, Fort McMurray RCMP got a report of an intoxicated man near the Esso at 323 Athabasca Ave. Police responded and tried to arrest the man but a struggle ensued and he was handcuffed by officers. The man went into medical distress and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has been directed to investigate the actions of police in arresting the man. Security video from the area shows there were multiple witnesses to the incident, and ASIRT is asking anyone with information to contact them at 780-644-1483. ASIRT is directed to investigate any incident involving Alberta police officers that results in serious injury, death, or police misconduct.
CBC
17-05-2025
- CBC
Edmonton police officer who used job to pursue women gets 6 months in jail
An Edmonton police officer, who used his position to pursue sexual relationships with vulnerable women he met on duty, has been sentenced to six months behind bars. Const. Hunter Robinz, 39, pleaded guilty last year to breach of trust, admitting that he made sexual advances toward eight different women from 2017 to 2019. The women's names are covered by a publication ban. The women all needed police help: calling to report a break-in, seeking help for a suicidal family member or getting assistance for a domestic violence situation, among other issues. Robinz subsequently sought them out after meeting them on the job and sent unsolicited, inappropriate messages. In the final incident that ultimately prompted the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province's police watchdog, to investigate Robinz's conduct, the officer returned to the home of a woman he'd helped earlier that day, when he and his EPS partner found her intoxicated and distressed in a public park. Robinz used the woman's key to let himself inside the house and aggressively pursued her, kissing her several times while she repeatedly asked him to leave. Calling Robinz's conduct "predatory," Court of King's Bench Justice Susan Bercov said Friday that a jail term is necessary to denounce his actions. "A strong message must be sent, that these types of abuses of authority will not be tolerated and that there will be significant consequences for those who engage in this behaviour," she said. Police officers rarely get jail time after a criminal case. ASIRT's public statistics on police charges lists just two other instances since 2009: an RCMP officer who was convicted in a theft and fraud case, and a Calgary police officer found guilty of assault in a violent 2016 arrest. Robinz's defence lawyer, Allan Fay, argued for a period of house arrest instead of time behind bars, which Bercov ultimately rejected. Her sentence additionally imposes a two-year probation period. The judge spoke about how, in this case, the women's victim impact statements illustrate the damage of reaching out for help, only to be victimized again by someone in authority. "I am satisfied Mr. Robinz's actions have caused significant, serious and widespread damage. Not only to the women, but to the community as well," Bercov said. "I applaud the courage of the women who came forward to report the offences, who were willing to testify and who provided victim impact statements. Their courageous actions prevented other women from being victimized." Crown prosecutor John Schmidt also credited the women who reported the misconduct for Friday's outcome. "More than anything, what we would like to express is our sincere thanks and appreciation for the eight women who came forward — who had the courage that it takes to speak out something like this," he said. Officer acknowledges 'unacceptable' behaviour Robinz has been suspended without pay from EPS since the end of 2021, when he was charged with sexual assault, unauthorized use of a computer database and two counts of breach of trust. After his guilty plea to one count of breach of trust, the Crown withdrew the other charges. A police disciplinary investigation follows the end of criminal proceedings, according to an EPS spokesperson. Robinz's defence lawyer previously told the court that, regardless of the ultimate sentencing outcome, there's "little doubt" his client will never work as a police officer again. Robinz apologized in court on Friday. "I am sorry for my behaviour. I'm sorry to my family, my friends and obviously the complainants for the pain I caused them. It was unacceptable. I was in a crisis and I didn't know," he said. The court heard Robinz has been diagnosed with PTSD and alcohol use disorder, which is connected to his past military service in Afghanistan. In Bercov's decision, she accepted that those mental health issues likely played a part in some of his conduct. In addition to Robinz's guilty plea, it's one of the mitigating factors in his sentence.
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Edmonton police officer reprimanded for using force on handcuffed man in 2019 arrest
Social Sharing An Edmonton police officer has been reprimanded nearly six years after an arrest where he shoved a handcuffed man's head into a brick wall. According to a disciplinary decision released Wednesday, the officer admitted to unlawful exercise of authority in the incident on June 11, 2019. He was among several officers who pursued a man speeding in a stolen truck into a downtown apartment parking lot. Frad Kamins, a retired RCMP chief superintendent who presided over the hearing, accepted a joint submission for a formal reprimand as the penalty. Kamins said it's "on the lighter side" of penalties he might impose, but he accepted the agreement for "a restorative approach versus the usual suspension without pay penalty." The decision identifies the officer only by anonymized initials, but he was publicly named as Const. Dylan Awid in 2021, when the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team charged him with assault in the wake of CBC reporting on video footage of the arrest. The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service stayed the charge about a month after it was laid, saying in a statement at the time that after a review, it was determined the case did not meet the standard for prosecution. According to Kamins's discipline decision, "The officer admitted the situation and the intensity got the better of his emotions. "While some degree of force was necessary to subdue the driver of the stolen vehicle, the force used by Constable [Awid] was not. It was a case of poor judgment and a spontaneous reaction." WATCH | Video shows arrest that led to EPS officer discipline: Videos reveal extent of violent arrest by Edmonton police 6 years ago Duration 1:36 Security video obtained by CBC News along with civilian cell phone video reveals the full extent of police violence in the June arrest of an alleged truck thief. The videos show the alleged thief being struck with what appears to be a gun before he is repeatedly kicked, thrown headfirst into a brick wall, elbow smashed in the head and then pushed hard against a cruiser. Officers then appear to re-enact the violence. Kyle Parkhurst, the man who was arrested, filed a lawsuit in 2022 against Edmonton Police Service and the individual officers involved. In his statement of claim, he says one EPS officer shouted "You're going to die!" and another called him a "maggot." He says he "received no medical attention despite being visibly injured" once he was in the back of an EPS car. The allegations have not been proven in court. All parties have filed statements of defence denying the allegations against them. Parkhurst initially also sued Alberta Health Services and the province, alleging he didn't get proper medical attention while he was in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre and Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre. Court documents show that action was discontinued this year. In a statement issued by his lawyer, Chris Wiebe, Parkhurst said Thursday that he wasn't given an opportunity to participate in the EPS disciplinary proceedings, and he continues to fear and distrust police because of what he experienced. "Almost six years is a long wait just for minimum consequence," he said. Kamins's decision characterizes the incident as a case of "serious misconduct," but says the officer has taken responsibility, shown remorse and apologized for his actions. Parkhurst said he hasn't received an apology. "It's like I matter less to them because I struggle with using drugs and I have a criminal record," he said. Officer admitted 'screw-up' in EPS conduct investigation Security video from the arrest shows two police vehicles box in the truck, with Parkhurst behind the wheel, after it rams both police cars. Once Parkhurst is outside the vehicle, police get him to the ground to arrest him. According to an agreed statement of facts from Awid's EPS discipline proceedings, video from an EPS helicopter, as well as footage recorded by a person in a nearby building, shows Awid jump from the cab of the truck onto Parkhurst's leg, then kick him in the torso three times. A different officer involved in the arrest also used a Taser on Parkhurst while he was on the ground, according to the statement of defence filed by EPS in Parkhurst's civil case. Parkhurst is then handcuffed and pulled to his feet, and video shows Awid shove his head into a wall. After walking him to a police vehicle, still in handcuffs, Awid shoves him again into the side of the car. The officer acknowledged to an EPS Professional Standards Branch investigator that the second shove against the car wasn't necessary, the agreed facts say. Awid was forthcoming with the investigator about the incident, according to the discipline decision, saying, "It was a screw-up and you own it." Parkhurst pleaded guilty to several criminal charges about six months after he was arrested, admitting that during a drug-fuelled crime spree, he stole several vehicles and drove dangerously through Edmonton, evading police and at one point rear-ending another car with enough force that the female driver lost consciousness. His defence lawyer at the time initially told the court he'd seek to have all the charges from the day of Parkhurst's arrest stayed, claiming a breach of his client's Charter rights. The Crown prosecutor told the court that "police did use unnecessary force once [Parkhurst] was already in custody," and the Crown took that into account in the joint-sentencing submission for three and a half years in prison. Kamins wrote in his decision that Awid had been on the force less than two years at the time of the arrest. "He got caught up in the 'heat of the moment' though, admittedly, that is usually the case with such matters." The disciplinary proceedings also credited Awid for subsequent volunteer work with Santas Anonymous and a food bank initiative.
