Edmonton

Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker, charged with sex offences, opts for jury trial

Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker, commander of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, was arrested in July on 10 charges.
Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker, left, faces a number of sex-related charges for alleged offences between 1998 and 2007, while he was a mentor to cadets.
A high-ranking military officer accused of sex  offences has chosen to have a jury trial.
  
Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker, commander of the 1st Battalion, Princess  Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton, was arrested in July  on 10 charges.

  The charges, including sexual assault, relate to alleged incidents involving a military cadet in Edmonton between 1998 and 2007.

  A justice official says a preliminary hearing for Stalker is to begin Aug. 2.

  No trial date has been set.

  Stalker has been suspended from his post pending the outcome of the court case.