Three of four Mounties accused of watching a B.C. jailhouse sexual encounter without intervening have been suspended with pay, according to Kamloops RCMP.
The supervising corporal on-duty on at the RCMP detachment on Aug. 18, along with two constables, are the subject of internal and criminal investigations because of allegations they watched seven minutes of sex between two female detainees on closed-circuit video.
The corporal has 20 years of experience with the force.
RCMP Insp. Tim Shields said a fourth officer, who is also a constable, is still under investigation.
"He is currently away on personal holiday outside of the province and we should have more to say regarding the decision on his duty status shortly," he said.
All of the officers involved are male.
Three male City of Kamloops employees -- two prison guards and a watch clerk -- were suspended with pay last week in connection to the incident.
According to police, the two women at the centre of the scandal were arrested separately on suspicion of being drunk in public and causing a disturbance.
They were placed in the same cell at the detachment, where they began a sexual encounter.
The four cops and three civilians allegedly watched the encounter live on video without stepping in.
Some media outlets have reported that one of the women involved is HIV-positive and did not inform the second woman, but police say they will not comment on those reports because of privacy concerns.
However, the Mounties have confirmed that one of the women is under criminal investigation because of the incident.
A troubled detachment
The four Mounties at the centre of the jailhouse-sex scandal aren't the only Kamloops RCMP members under investigation or facing allegations of misconduct.
Two more officers are currently under investigation by the Calgary Police Service after the shooting death of Wilbert Bartley on July 30.
Bartley, 50, was shot and killed after he backed his Toyota 4Runner into an unmarked RCMP minivan parked near a convenience store.
Calgary investigators say that the two plainclothes Mounties fired two shots through the SUV's windshield, hitting Bartley at least once.
Both officers involved have been placed on administrative duties while the investigation is underway. The two officers have hired lawyers, and the Calgary department is now reviewing their statements.
Another pair of Kamloops Mounties remains off regular duty while they face charges of assault for separate incidents.
Const. Ryan Sheremetta has been charged with one count of assault for allegedly punching another man in an off-duty street fight on March 7. He has been placed on administrative duties while an internal police investigation is underway.
Fellow Const. Kevin Roy has been charged with two counts of assault relating to separate arrests of male and female suspects. He has been suspended from duty with pay.
Sheremetta and Roy both appeared in Kamloops provincial court on Aug. 26. Both will make their next appearance on Sept. 30 to fix trial dates.
With files from The Canadian Press
