The veteran police officer won’t serve jail time if he abides by court-imposed situations.
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The sexual assault case towards a senior Ottawa police officer reached a quiet decision final month as Workers Sgt. Will Hinterberger pleaded responsible to lesser costs on March 27 and resigned from the Ottawa Police Service the identical day.
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Hinterberger, 56, was handed a nine-month conditional sentence after pleading responsible to assault inflicting bodily hurt, assault, illegal possession of a firearm and breach of belief. He additionally pleaded responsible to 2 costs of failing to conform together with his bail situations.
He was initially charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement, although these costs have been withdrawn and should not included within the plea. The id of the sufferer is shielded by a publication ban.
A conditional sentence means the veteran police officer won’t serve jail time if he abides by court-imposed situations.
Ottawa police confirmed this week that Hinterberger pleaded responsible in Superior Courtroom and resigned on March 27, although “his resignation took impact on March 26,” based on a police spokesperson.
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Hinterberger’s lawyer, Richard Addelman, declined to touch upon the case or its decision.
The Ottawa Police Affiliation didn’t return a request for touch upon the conclusion of the legal case or on Hinterberger’s resignation.
Hinterberger had been below suspension since September 2019 amid an unrelated inside investigation into lacking police information.
He was charged with sexual assault and different legal offences after his arrest on Sept. 30, 2019, when police executed a search warrant of Hinterberger’s house and seized a restricted Lee Enfield rifle and a Browning semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun, based on court docket data.
He was initially launched from custody on a $3,000 bond and weeks later was charged with breaching his situations. Bail was granted for a second time in January 2020 below revised launch situations and a $4,000 money bond, based on court docket data.
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Hinterberger had been set to face trial on all counts earlier than a choose and jury, based on a court docket order signed by Superior Courtroom Justice Robert Wadden on Might 13, 2021.
His trial had initially been set scheduled to run for 3 weeks.
Superior Courtroom Justice John Johnston was introduced in from an out of doors jurisdiction to preside over the case. It’s customary for an out-of-town choose to preside over circumstances involving law enforcement officials or different officers the place an “apprehension of bias” could exist with a neighborhood choose.
Johnston accepted Hinterberger’s responsible plea to lesser costs as a part of an settlement that was finalized final month between the Crown’s workplace and Hinterberger’s defence crew.
Hinterberger pleaded responsible in individual on the Ottawa courthouse on March 27, although there was no public reporting on his plea on the time.
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A court docket file of the proceedings is incomplete and parts of the doc, together with the phrases of the conditional sentence, have but to be up to date.
The Ministry of the Legal professional Normal confirmed in an electronic mail this week that Hinterberger pleaded responsible to the assault, weapons and breach of belief costs and acquired a conditional sentence.
Courtroom sources confirmed the sexual assault and forcible confinement costs have been withdrawn as a part of the plea deal.
Hinterberger will serve a portion of his nine-month sentence below home arrest and was additionally ordered to signal a two-year peace bond and keep away from all contact with the sufferer and household.
Hinterberger was a patrol supervisor previous to his suspension however beforehand labored within the skilled requirements part, the unit that investigates officer misconduct. He additionally beforehand labored within the safety intelligence part, the place officers triage native terrorism circumstances and monitor incidents of hate and extremism within the metropolis.
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Hinterberger had a historical past of dealing with delicate circumstances, and the unrelated allegations involving lacking information date again to his time in each of these items, this newspaper has beforehand reported. The character of these information isn’t publicly recognized.
Hinterberger is one among six Ottawa law enforcement officials who have been below paid suspension, based on a 2022 “workforce administration report” submitted to the Ottawa Police Companies Board.
The Workers Sergeant was paid greater than $420,000, based on the province’s public wage disclosure (the so-called Sunshine Checklist), over the three years since his suspension with pay took impact.
-with Postmedia information
ahelmer@postmedia.com
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