A Port Moody police officer and one from Vancouver who were acquitted of criminal charges in Cuba are still facing a disciplinary process at home after an investigation under the Police Act determined there was enough evidence to take the issue to the next stage.
No details about the evidence are being released but the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) said in a press release Wednesday that a hearing will be held into the conduct of PMPD Const. Jordan Long and VPD Const. Mark Simms.
Chief Officer Dave Jones of the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, who reviewed the initial report and determined a hearing was needed, will conduct the hearing and decide whether there is enough evidence for discipline, which could range from corrective measures to dismissal.
The OPCC will then review Jones’ decision and could refer the issue for further review to a retired judge, according to Andrea Spindler, the deputy police complaint commissioner.
“At the conclusion, we will review it, either we agree with the review or we will appoint a retired judge to look into it,” Spindler told The Tri-City News.
A PMPD spokesperson confirmed the department was informed Wednesday of the disciplinary hearing and said Long is on active duty and continues to be paid.
"Ths officer was cleared of any criminal allegations," Sgt. Travis Carroll said.
The OPCC press release said the investigation was conducted under the Police Act to determine whether the officers’ off-duty activities during their Cuban vacation are discreditable conduct.
No further information is being released as the commission seeks to “protect the integrity of the proceedings.”
The case dates back to March 2018, when both officers, who are friends, were on vacation in Varadero. Cuban police arrested them in connection with an alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old Ontario girl, who was also on vacation.
Authorities would not allow the officers to leave the country until they went to trial. That occurred in November and the officers were acquitted by a panel of five judges. (VPD's Simms was found not guilty of the assault while PMPD's Long was found not guilty of being an accessory to a sexual assault.) The Cuban prosecution service appealed the verdict to the country’s highest court but the appeal was dismissed.
