(CBC News) – A judge has acquitted a Behchoko RCMP Const. Trent Hayward, 40, on a charge of impaired driving.
Hayward was charged with impaired driving about a year ago.
The judge said the case boiled down to a credibility contest between Hayward and the Mountie who arrested him.
Arresting officer Cpl. Matt Hare testified that Hayward was very intoxicated the night of the arrest. He said that was plain during a 10 to 15 minute conversation the two had on the street that night in Yellowknife.
Hayward said the conversation was no more than a few words, and that he was drinking only moderately that night. Those were only a few of many differences between the two officers’ testimonies.
Hayward’s father, Dan Hayward, believes his son was targeted because he was dating a female officer who Hare had once dated .
Dan Hayward said today’s verdict was a huge relief.
“You’re always scared, and I’m sure my son was terrified at times, but we felt very confident that they would prove some of the lies that were out there and some of the statements that were out there, and especially being in the force it’s always double or triple what I would have went through, so, yeah, it’s a relief to see it over and to see him walk out,” said Dan Hayward.
It was obvious during the trial that Hare and Hayward are far from friends.
Though off duty, Hare was in the courtroom for the verdict. Hare walked out of the courtroom about 10 minutes before the judge finished his hour-long decision, and Hayward shook his head while Hare was testifying.
An RCMP spokesman minimized the effect the case has had on members in the Northwest Territories.
“It’s hard to judge what effect it has on the membership. To a large degree, there’s not a lot of conversation about it on a daily basis. You know, after today and after the trial itself there was some discussion, but you know, opinions are mixed as they would be in any case of a relatively high profile nature,” said Staff Sgt. Brad Kaeding.
Kaeding says Hayward’s recent transfer from Behchoko to Hay River, N.W.T., has nothing to do with the charge.
Hayward has been on desk duty since being arrested. He is still subject to an internal review, but with today’s verdict, he’s likely to be cleared of any violation of the forces code of conduct.
Mountie was arrested when driving to Behchoko, N.W.T., from Yellowknife
He was stopped at about 4:30 a.m. as he was driving to Behchoko, N.W.T., from Yellowknife.
The case boiled down to the credibility of Hayward versus the arresting officers. Hayward said in court he had had four beers over the course of the night, which included stops at Yellowknife’s Boston Pizza and the Gold Range bar.
Hayward insisted he was not intoxicated. He says he didn’t understand why the arresting officer stopped him as he was driving on Highway 3 that morning.
The arresting officer, Cpl. Hare, took Hayward back to the Yellowknife RCMP detachment for a breathalyzer, but they were out of the special solution the machine requires to operate.
Hare said he’s arrested hundreds of people for impaired driving, and that’s the first time that happened.
But two other RCMP officers, including Hayward’s commanding officer in Behchoko, testified that when they saw Hayward at the detachment, he smelled of liquor, his eyes were glassy and he appeared drunk.
The officers saw Hayward more than four hours after Hayward said he had had his last beer.
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