A one-year member of the Saint John Police Force has been charged with assault, police announced on Thursday.
The charge followed a public complaint and an external criminal investigation by the Fredericton Police Force.
The officer, who has not been named, is scheduled to appear in provincial court on July 3 to answer to the charge.
“The Saint John Police holds our members to the highest standard of accountability. Any complaints of excessive force are taken very seriously,” Chief Robert Bruce said in a news release.
“We are committed to maintaining public trust and always remaining transparent. We will provide the public with further updates as the court process permits and we remain confident in the judicial process.
The officer has been re-assigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
He will face a Police Act investigation once the criminal court proceedings have wrapped up.
Police said the allegation did not meet the mandate of the Serious Incident Response Team.