A Mountie in Kelowna, B.C. has been found guilty of assault for punching a pregnant woman in the face.
Const. Steve Conlon struck Crystal Young in the face as police raided her rented house in February 2009. He was convicted in the assault on Friday.
Before the attack, Young held a snarling pit bull on a short leash and wouldn't obey his order to get down on the floor, the officer told the court.
Conlon, then an officer for two years, testified during his trial that the dog "locked on" to his right arm when he approached Young. He said he punched the animal with a downward motion and followed through, also striking Young in the eyebrow area. He said it was one motion.
Young told CTV News after the incident that the assault was unprovoked.
"He punched me in the face and threw me to the ground," she said.
"I wasn't resisting. I didn't have anywhere to go. I wasn't running. I was just holding my dog back."
But defence lawyer Jack Harris argued the dog and Young were "one entity," and that Conlon had to deflect both of them.
Conlon and four other officers burst into the rented house after another officer shot and wounded a man wanted on a Canada wide warrant outside the home.
Police say that Conlon remains on active duty pending a code of conduct investigation.
With files from The Canadian Press
