A Chatham-Kent police officer has been charged with drug possession.
Police reported on Thursday afternoon that Constable Cristelle VandenEnden has been arrested and charged following a drug complaint on March 21, 2020.
Spokesperson Constable Renee Cowell said officers were called to an incident in Chatham involving an off-duty member. The Chatham-Kent Police Service asked the Sarnia Police Service to take over the investigation to ensure impartiality and Constable VandenEnden was arrested on Wednesday without incident. She has been charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance. She was released and is scheduled to appear in Chatham Court on October 21, 2020 at 9 a.m.
Constable VandenEnden was on a leave of absence at the time of the incident and will remain on the leave of absence. Cowell said no further information will be released in order to respect the integrity of the investigation and the pending Police Services Act process.
VandenEnden was arrested and charged with fraud and other offences in May in connection with an investigation going back to December of last year. Chatham-Kent police said they started looking into that case after a local citizen reported the theft of personal blank cheques on December 27, 2019. At that time Constable Cowell said Vanden Enden was not suspended with pay, but on leave from work for reasons that cannot be disclosed.