Ottawa cop who threatened to kill woman faces discreditable conduct charges
Kristy Nease | CBC News | Posted: September 29, 2023 4:22 PM | Last Updated: September 29, 2023
Const. Yourik Brisebois remains on active duty, Ottawa police say
An Ottawa police officer found guilty of threatening to kill a woman during a 2020 domestic dispute, while in possession of a kitchen knife, is now facing two counts of discreditable conduct laid by his force.
Const. Yourik Brisebois was served notice of the Police Services Act charges in late July and made his first disciplinary hearing appearance on Sept. 19.
His next appearance is scheduled for October.
Brisebois remains on active duty, police said in an email on Friday.
The force said it won't comment further, citing the ongoing disciplinary matter.
Received conditional discharge from judge
On March 23, Brisebois was found guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice of knowingly uttering a threat to cause death to a woman and possessing a kitchen knife for the purpose of committing an offence. He had pleaded not guilty.
On May 4, Justice Janet O'Brien gave Brisebois a conditional discharge, meaning he'll have no criminal record if he abides by the terms of a three-year probation order.
He must not contact the victim, nor possess any weapons except those required for policing and only during work hours, and must attend and actively participate in any programs he was ordered to complete, among other conditions. Brisebois was also ordered to pay two victim surcharge fines totalling $200.
Ottawa police now allege Brisebois acted disorderly, or likely to bring discredit to the force's reputation, because he was found guilty of two criminal charges.
Brought back to work before guilty verdict
The domestic crimes happened in late July of 2020, and Brisebois was arrested 12 days later.
He was suspended with pay for 18 months, from August 2020 to February 2022, according to Ottawa police. Suspensions without pay are not permitted by the Police Services Act until after an officer has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment.
The act also gives police chiefs and police oversight boards the power to revoke suspensions as deemed appropriate, before any charges are dealt with in court.
Brisebois was brought back to work more than a year before he was found guilty and sentenced.
He was given administrative duties upon his return, the police force said earlier this year, and was later assigned to active duty, according to Matthew Cox, president of the Ottawa Police Association (the union representing Ottawa police officers and civilians).
CBC has reached out to Brisebois, but did not immediately receive a response.
In 2020, Brisebois earned about $117,000, which lowered to about $114,000 in 2021, and in 2022 he earned about $127,000, according to Ontario's sunshine list, which names public sector employees paid more than $100,000 in any given year.
Corrections:- An earlier version of this story stated Brisebois was convicted of two criminal charges. In fact, he was found guilty of the charges, but no conviction will be registered as long as he abides by the terms of a three-year probation order. September 29, 2023 7:26 PM
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of the officer. His first name is Yourik. October 5, 2023 2:54 PM