A former Fredericton Police Force auxiliary officer who was facing sexual assault and child pornography-related charges has had those charges withdrawn by the New Brunswick Crown Prosecutor’s Office.
Robert Hartlen, 56, was charged in May.
At the time, the Fredericton Police Force said the three charges were the result of an investigation initiated by its special crimes unit.
The force said Hartlen was a volunteer member of their auxiliary program from 2010 to 2015, and that the alleged offences did not occur during that time.
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During a scheduled court appearance Thursday morning, the Crown said it was withdrawing all the charges.
In an emailed statement, a Department of Justice spokesperson said there was no longer a reasonable likelihood of conviction after reviewing additional information and the completion of a post-charge reassessment.
“The Crown has an ongoing duty to reassess charges after they have been laid to ensure that the reasonable likelihood charge approval standard continues to be met,” spokesperson Paul Bradley wrote.
“This duty runs from the beginning to the end of a case, and the Crown has an obligation to terminate a prosecution if there is no longer a reasonable likelihood of conviction.”
The Fredericton Police Force said in its own statement that it accepts the Crown’s decision, although “this outcome is not what we anticipated.”
“We respect the Crown’s obligation to proceed only where there is a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” the force wrote in a release.
“We also recognize the impact that cases like this have on victims, families, and the broader community. Maintaining public confidence is fundamental to our work, growth, and progress as an organization. This matter is not connected to any other previous or current investigations or charges and does not impact any other files.”
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