Charges have now been laid against a Surrey, B.C., Mountie who was allegedly targeted in a Creep Catcher sting last week, according to his lawyer.
The lawyer representing Const. Dario Devic said the officer is facing two charges: attempting to lure a child under the age of 16 and breach of trust by a public officer.
Rishi Gill told CTV News that Devic is “very much looking forward to defending himself before the court.”
“He is very concerned with the conduct of Surrey Creep Catchers given they have misidentified somebody already," Gill said in a statement emailed to CTV Vancouver.
The officer was arrested following an incident on Sept. 7 where members of Surrey Creep Catchers arranged a sting targeting a man they claim was trying to meet an underage girl.
The online vigilante group live-streamed the setup on Facebook, where it was viewed by tens of thousands of people.
The target ran away after being confronted and managed to escape, but two days later police announced he had been identified and was under a formal investigation.
Apart from the criminal probe, there is also an ongoing internal RCMP Code of Conduct investigation into what happened.
Devic’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 19.
Meanwhile the accused has been released with conditions that – except with certain specified exemptions – prohibit him from using the internet, contacting children under the age of 16 and attending facilities where anyone under that age may gather.
The Mountie has been removed from active duty status.
The Criminal Justice Branch says the allegations are being reviewed in accordance with its policy relating to charges involving police officers.
"As the matter is now with the B.C. Prosecution Service for charge assessment no further comments with respect to the circumstances giving rise to these charges or the identity of the individual will be made at this time," Communications Counsel Dan McLaughlin said in a statement sent to CTV Vancouver.
