A former Thunder Bay police chief has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing misconduct investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said Friday. 

Toronto Star: The Canadian Press – A former Thunder Bay police chief has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing misconduct investigation, Ontario Provincial Police said Friday.

Police arrested Sylvie Hauth, 57, of Ottawa, and charged her with two counts of obstructing justice, one count of breach of trust and one obstruction count, the OPP said.

Hauth was then released, the force said. She is set to appear in court on May 7. Her lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The charges mark the third arrest in the OPP’s investigation into allegations of misconduct within the Thunder Bay police force.

Holly Walbourne, the former in-house lawyer for the police service, was charged earlier this week with similar offences. Walbourne’s lawyers said they were shocked at the charges and looked forward to defending them in court.

In December, police arrested officer Michael Dimini and charged him with two counts of assault, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

The charges come after Ontario’s Attorney General asked the OPP in late 2021 to look into allegations of misconduct by members of the Thunder Bay police force.

The force has faced intense scrutiny in recent years after reports found its investigations into the sudden deaths of Indigenous people had been tainted by racist attitudes and stereotyping, while others raised concerns about the ability of its senior leaders to run day-to-day operations.

The OPP investigation was launched around the same time as an investigation by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission into allegations of misconduct by senior police members, also initiated at the request of the province.

That investigation ultimately found an allegation that Walbourne had colluded with ex-police chief Hauth in response to the commission’s inquiries was unsubstantiated.

Hauth, meanwhile, was charged with discreditable conduct and deceit charges under the Police Services Act as part of the commission’s investigation. Those charges were eventually dismissed after Hauth resigned just weeks before she was set to face a public tribunal early last year.

The Police Services Act charges alleged Hauth either knew about a criminal investigation the force had launched into a member of its own police board and, despite the conflict of interest, either condoned it or at least failed to immediately transfer it to the OPP, which eventually took over the probe.

When the OPP did not charge the board member, Hauth allegedly tried to cover up her knowledge of the force’s initial investigation in a report to the board, according to tribunal documents.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2024.