Jeremy Wilde’s criminal defense lawyer told a judge two months ago there was a window of opportunity for his client to regain his position as a Sarnia police officer, but first he’d have to regain the trust of his employer and the community.
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But it appears that window has slammed shut as the disgraced former first-class constable, convicted in July of multiple assault charges linked to off-duty conduct including domestic violence, has voluntarily resigned as of Friday, police said.
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“We acknowledge and understand that circumstances such as this are of serious concern to the public. Our hard working and professional members, who continue to serve our community every hour of every day, share these same concerns. Our organization remains committed to addressing disciplinary matters in an expedient and appropriate manner, within the permitted framework of the Police Services Act,” Chief Derek Davis said in a statement released Friday afternoon.
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Wilde, 46, pleaded guilty on July 26 to four criminal charges including assault causing bodily harm, uttering a death threat, and two counts of assault. He received a suspended sentence, probation, and a lecture from the judge, who called his behavior absolutely contemptible.
“Particularly considering his status and employment as a police officer,” Justice Mark Poland said at the time.
On the heels of the sentencing, Davis said an internal investigation via the Police Services Act (PSA), which had been put on hold while the case was before the courts, would be proceeding. But that investigation is coming to an end soon as Wilde has voluntarily resigned, police said Friday.
“He is no longer a police officer or employed by the Sarnia Police Service in any capacity. As a result, all Police Services Act (PSA) matters are unable to proceed as jurisdiction has been lost,” the statement said.
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Four PSA charges of discreet conduct laid against Wilde were briefly discussed during a video hearing earlier this week. They were adjourned to Tuesday, where they’re expected to be stayed since Wilde is no longer a police officer.
Wilde hasn’t been in the workplace since August 2021 and was later placed on paid administrative suspension as police chiefs in Ontario can’t suspend officers without pay even after being charged criminally. He earned more than $107,000 in 2021, according to sunshineliststats.com.
As first reported by The Observer, Wilde, then a 45-year-old first-class constable who’d recently lived in Sarnia and various Lambton County communities, was arrested three times by provincial police between August 2021 and November 2022 and charged with nine counts of assault along with single counts of uttering a death threat and mischief. All of the charges were linked to off-duty incidents and most of them involved two former girlfriends. He was also charged in nearby London with uttering a death threat.
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During his sentencing on the four charges he pleaded guilty to, the court heard alcohol – Wilde also spoke extensively about this during his bail hearing last year – was a driving factor behind the verbal and physical abuse he inflicted on two former girlfriends at various times between 2021 and ’22. One of them partially fell down a flight of stairs and left with bruises on her neck area after Wilde found out she had ‘liked’ a photo of a friend on social media.
The other woman was repeatedly squeezed by the wrists and held down on a bed amid accusations she was talking to a former partner. The latter woman finally had enough last fall and texted him that it’s time for him to leave.
“Mr. Wilde responded with a text saying, ‘It’s time you die,’” Zachary Battiston, an assistant Crown attorney from the Windsor office, said in July while reading an agreed statement of facts.
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Another assault conviction was linked to a man Wilde got in a confrontation with almost a year ago.
But alcohol – or abstaining from it since his most recent arrest in December – was also a key reason the judge agreed to impose a suspended sentence and 18 months of probation, as both lawyers requested.
Wilde apologized at the time, saying alcoholism turned him into a person he never wanted to be and said he hopes his victims can forgive him.
SARNIA POLICE OFFICERS CHARGED SINCE 2020
Wilde was the sixth Sarnia police officer to face criminal charges since 2020, but just the second to be convicted.
- July 6: Const. Sean Van Vlymen charged by the SIU with assault causing bodily harm. The case is still before the courts.
- April 21: Const. Chris Beauchamp charged with assault following an alleged off-duty incident. The case is still before the courts.
- March 31: Van Vlymen charged with impaired driving by Lambton OPP. He was cleared in July following a Highway Traffic Act conviction of careless driving.
- November 2022:Cont. Christopher Noordam voluntarily resigned after being convicted of breach of trust for inappropriately – and repeatedly – touching a parolee he was supervising during meetings in a private room at Sarnia police headquarters.
- October 2021: A Sarnia police officer was cleared of forgery and attempted fraud.
- June 2021: A Sarnia police officer previously charged with breaking and entering to commit mischief had the charge tossed out.
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