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ASIRT charges RCMP officer accused of breaking into women's Banff hotel room

An Alberta RCMP officer, accused of breaking into the Banff hotel room of two women, has been charged with breaking and entering.

Const. Garret Claxton faces 1 count of breaking and entering

A building surrounded by mountains with an RCMP billboard out front.
An officer from the Banff RCMP detachment, pictured, is accused of breaking into a local hotel room where two women were staying. He has been charged with breaking and entering. (Google Maps)

An off-duty RCMP officer accused of breaking into a Banff hotel room occupied by two women has been charged with breaking and entering.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) announced the charge against Const. Garret Claxton on Wednesday. 

According to ASIRT, the incident took place in the early morning hours of Oct. 23, 2022.

Claxton had been socializing with the women earlier in the night. 

"The evidence gathered during ASIRT's investigation provided reasonable grounds to believe that an offence had been committed," the agency said in a news release.

The results of the ASIRT investigation were forwarded to the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, which then determined the evidence met its standard for prosecution. 

He is set to make a court appearance in Canmore later this month.

Claxton serves with the RCMP in its Banff detachment.

He has been suspended from duty with pay since the incident nearly two years ago.

ASIRT, the province's police watchdog, investigates serious allegations of officer misconduct, and when death or injury may have been caused by police.