Regina cop with 9 years experience charged with drunk driving, leaving crash scene
Same officer won an award in 2013 for solving hit and run
A Regina police officer, who was previously awarded for his investigative work solving a serious hit and run, has been charged with impaired driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
The charges stem from a crash that happened Wednesday around 10 p.m. CST around Lewvan Drive and Harbour Landing Drive, according to a Regina police news release.
Constable Scott Ash, who has been a police officer for nine years, allegedly crashed into another vehicle while impaired and left the scene.
Officers then arrested and charged him about half an hour later, said Acting Police Chief Dean Rae.
"We expect all our members to be professional, to uphold the law, and the community expects us to conduct ourselves with a high standard," Rae told reporters after the charges were announced.
"That's the same within our service. So when these incidents occur, it's concerning to us as a service but at the end of the day, we're all human, we all make mistakes."
Ash was off-duty at the time and no injuries were reported.
He has been placed on administrative leave with pay and will appear in court on Sept. 10.
An administrative investigation will also take place after the criminal charges have been dealt with, as per provisions of the Police Act.
Ash was one of a group of officers who received a "Teamwork Award" from the Regina Police Service for their "exceptional investigative work in solving a serious hit and run" in 2013, police confirmed.
The last time a Regina police officer was charged with impaired driving was in July of 2016.