SAULT STE MARIE, Ont. - An Ontario Provincial Police officer is facing nine charges in the alleged sexual assaults of four people in the 1980s.

The charges against Const. David Scott were laid after an investigation by Ontario's police watchdog.

The Special Investigations Unit says it was contacted in February by the Sault Ste. Marie police service, where Scott used to work, about allegations against one of its former employees.

The investigation determined the alleged incidences against four males took place between 1981 and 1987.

As a result of the probe, Scott faces four counts of gross indecency, three counts of sexual assault and two counts of indecent assault.

The Special Investigations Unit is an arm's-lenght organization that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.