Ottawa police officer charged with sexual assault, interference
Const. Charlene Abella faces 6 charges total
An Ottawa police officer has been charged with sexual assault, interference and exploitation.
In a Friday afternoon news release, Ottawa police said they first heard two weeks ago about unspecified allegations related to children. They did not share details such as when or where.
After checking with the province's Special Investigations Unit, which looks into some kinds of alleged police wrongdoing, Ottawa police said it didn't fit with that mandate and turned to Peel Region police as an unrelated agency.
Peel police charged Const. Charlene Abella with three counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference and one count of sexual exploitation, said Ottawa police.
Sexual interference by definition involves someone under age 16. Sexual exploitation has to do with betraying the trust of a young person.
The charges do not relate to on-duty behaviour, Ottawa police said.
Abella has been suspended with pay. Ottawa police said they're prepared to act if the conditions for an unpaid suspension come together.
An archived Ottawa police profile from March 2020 said a Const. Charlene Abella grew up in Hamilton, studied policing at Mohawk College and played basketball at Carleton University.