People in Merritt, B.C. are struggling to digest the news that the top-ranked Mountie in their community has been charged with stealing and then using cocaine from police exhibits.
Staff Sgt. Stuart Seib was arrested on Tuesday after he allegedly told a fellow officer about the thefts, which police believe happened on more than one occasion. He has been suspended from duty and charged with theft.
Dave Baker, Merritt's acting mayor, says the news hasn't changed his opinion about the integrity of officers in the local detachment.
"I personally know a few of the members in town here and they're very respected people. It does not shake my confidence at all," he told CTV News.
But some locals say their confidence in the Mounties has been shaken.
"It makes you worried about even having to go to the cops for any mishaps," one woman said.
Merritt Mounties say that all they can do now is try to do their jobs as best they can.
"Hopefully the confidence of the community remains high, and the proof will be in the fact that we stay strong and we continue doing things as we have done," Sgt. Norm Flemming said.
Police say further charges could be laid against Seib in the coming weeks, and his superiors are recommending that his pay be suspended.
Seib came to the Merritt detachment in November after a posting in Clearwater, and investigators are now looking into his activities there.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat
