Two GSPS officers facing fraud charges

A Greater Sudbury Police officer who's been the subject of a lot of controversy over the past year is in more legal trouble.

Const. Christopher Labreche was charged Sept. 22 with fraud under $5,000 and 14 counts of uttering false documents in connection to an investigation regarding the alleged misuse of company insurance benefits.

He was also charged with assault this past January in connection to a 2014 incident where he allegedly threw a young man face-first into a police cell window, breaking the glass.

Also charged Sept. 22 in relation to the alleged misuse of company insurance benefits is Const. Kathryn Howard. She's facing charges of fraud under $5,000 and 14 counts of uttering false documents.

Greater Sudbury Police's professional standards bureau began the investigation in August after receiving complaints from its benefits provider. Both officers have been assigned to non-operational duties.

The accused will appear in court Oct. 28.

“As chief of police for Greater Sudbury Police Service, I am extremely disappointed that two of our officers have been charged criminally,” said Chief Paul Pederson, in a press release.

“I also want to reassure our community that we are an organization that is accountable and transparent, and further that we will not tolerate this type of behaviour. I have confidence in the judicial systems and processes in place to deal with these matters.”