RCMP officer appears for first day of his disciplinary hearing

A Manitoba RCMP officer previously in trouble for discreditable conduct is facing another disciplinary hearing by his employer.

Const. Stephan Shewchuk from the Portage la Prairie traffic division appeared Monday for the first day of a five-day hearing into two allegations in contravention of the RCMP’s code of conduct.

Shewchuk sat in a dark suit with one leg shaking during the disciplinary hearing, which was held at the Holiday Inn in Winnipeg. When asked if he admitted or denied the two allegations he was accused of, he replied “deny” to both.

The exact nature of the allegations against Shewchuk remains unclear. The RCMP’s schedule of conduct hearings states Shewchuk is alleged to be in contravention of sections 3.3 and 8.1 of the code of conduct.

The nature of the allegations was not disclosed during the disciplinary hearing on Monday.

Section 3.3 states “members give and carry out lawful orders and direction” and 8.1 dictates “members provide complete, accurate and timely accounts pertaining to the carrying out of their responsibilities, the performance of their duties, the conduct of investigations, the actions of other employees and the operation and administration of the Force.”

Shewchuk’s lawyer, Josh Weinstein, and RCMP general counsel John McLaughlin declined to detail the allegations against Shewchuk.

Shewchuk had previously been docked 45 days’ pay and was transferred from another detachment for interacting with two women — one underaged at the time — after a traffic stop in 2020.

After pulling over the vehicle and conducting a sobriety check, Shewchuk found and followed one of the passengers on Instagram and contacted her. When he learned she was only 17, he called her “jailbait” and asked when she turned 18.

“Jailbait” is a term used for a person who is younger than the legal age of consent for sexual activity, but some see as appearing older.

The first day of the week-long disciplinary hearing heard testimony from several RCMP officers and the mother of Shewchuk’s child. Much of Monday’s testimony revolved around a meeting held on Dec. 5, 2023 between several supervising officers at the Central Plains division in which Shewchuk taking an overtime shift at the Portage la Prairie detachment was discussed.

Court heard that two days later, on Dec. 7, an order was given that Shewchuk was only allowed to take overtime shifts at two detachments within the Central Plains division — Treherne and Amaranth. The order said he was not to take any overtime shifts at the Portage la Prairie detachment.

He was also not to be conducting traffic stops in unmarked vehicles due to previous misconduct, the hearing heard.

Witness testimony is expected to continue today and Wednesday. The hearing is expected to last until Friday.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca