Const. Sean James of the St. Louis Police Department. Thomas stands next to Trax in this Postmedia file photo.
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A St. Thomas police dog handler charged by Ontario’s police watchdog for injuring a bicyclist last month was previously charged nearly six years ago after taking an innocent man in a violent jewelry store robbery.
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In the most recent case, officers tried to stop a 29-year-old man wanted on multiple warrants on Sept. 1, but the man fled on a bicycle, St. Louis police said. Thomas on Thursday. Subscribe to receive a curated collection of links and highlights from our award-winning breaking news coverage, in-depth analysis and unparalleled investigative weekday features. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
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The suspect eventually dropped the bike and ran off before officers apprehended him, police said. The man was injured during the arrest and the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was alerted, said police, who did not elaborate on how the man was injured. The SIU said the man was seriously injured during “an interaction” with an officer. Const. Sean James is charged with assault causing bodily harm. He is scheduled to appear in court on December 13. James remains on active duty as a dog handler, police said.
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“It remains our practice to be as transparent as possible with the public, given the sensitivity of investigations and the limits placed on us in releasing information in some cases,” police said in a statement. The canine unit of the St. Thomas was created in 2013 when James began working with Trax, a purebred German shepherd. A medical condition forced Trax into early retirement in 2017, and James adopted the dog, according to the unit’s history on the St. Thomas police website. “Although the whole service was devastated to see Trax go, everyone was relieved to know he would be adopted by PC James’ handler. To this day he lives a very spoiled life as a beloved pet at home enjoying lots of love,” the website states.
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James began working with a new dog, a Belgian Malinois named Axl, conducting investigations, gathering evidence, chasing suspects, searching for missing persons and making presentations at schools and community events. Sean James appears in this Free Press photo from 2017. (Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press) In 2016, the SIU charged James and two other officers, constables Frank Boyes and Daniel Spicer, with assault causing bodily harm. The charges stem from Feb. 2, 2016, when police were searching for a suspect in a robbery the previous day at B&L Jewelry, where the store owner was tied up and dragged into a back room. James, Boyes and Spicer were watching at a Millbank Drive house in London the next day for Wallace Piercey, who would eventually be convicted and sentenced for the robbery, when they saw a man get into a taxi, the court heard.
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The three officers helped arrest the man after police surrounded the cab and pulled him from the back seat. The man, who was not involved in the robbery, was punched by one of the officers and kicked by another, the court heard. But a judge acquitted the three officers after the Crown admitted the officers had probable cause to make the arrest. The security guard’s latest charge against James comes less than a week after the SIU launched an investigation into the wounding of a burglary suspect who bit a London police dog while fleeing from police. The SIU investigates all cases of serious injury, death, police-involved shootings, and allegations of officer-involved sexual assault. [email protected] Twitter.com/DaleatLFPress
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