NEW GLASGOW, N.S. - The Nova Scotia Police Review Board has ruled the former chief of police in Stellarton was the author of an unsigned letter that made allegations of an RCMP sex party.

The three-member board concludes the letter was written by Ambrose Heighton and that it amounted to discreditable conduct contrary to Police Act Regulations.

The finding released Thursday stems from a hearing held last October where the letter was entered as an exhibit by the Town of Stellarton in defending its decision to fire Heighton in 2008.

The board says it finds that, "on the balance of probabilities," Heighton wrote the letter.

The decision doesn't conclude whether Heighton's dismissal from his job was justified, which will be the subject of another hearing if Heighton chooses to continue with his appeal.

"However, although the board has found that Mr. Heighton committed disciplinary defaults, it does not mean that the board accepts that the town council's decision to terminate Mr. Heighton's employment was justified," it says.

The board says it released its preliminary decision to the parties involved in the case now and will provide full written reasons later.

The officers mentioned in the letter were under the supervision of provincial Justice Minister Ross Landry, who at that time was the RCMP officer in charge of the Pictou detachment in northeastern Nova Scotia.

Landry testified during the hearing that comments in the letter alleging inappropriate behaviour at house parties were later shown to be untrue by an internal RCMP investigation.

Heighton has denied writing the letter, but he has acknowledged in written submissions that he forwarded it to the province's Justice Department in 2007. He did not testify at the police review board hearing.

His lawyer, David Bright, said in an email that he is travelling and hasn't had a chance to discuss the matter with his client.

The letter also alleged a female RCMP officer had an affair with the wife of another officer, and that some officers used or stored their weapons improperly.

Landry denounced the various allegations in the letter as malicious, saying most weren't accurate and that he had checked into or properly dealt with all the allegations against members of the RCMP.

Landry testified that the letter quoted him as saying, "my officers work hard and play hard," a phrase Landry said he used in a personal exchange with Heighton, which he believed was an indication Heighton was likely its author.

During the hearing, Landry testified there was conflict between himself and Heighton over proposals to bring the various municipal policing services in the county under one umbrella.

The Pictou detachment was made up of about 35 officers and Landry was in charge of it from 2005 until 2009. He was elected to the legislature in June 2009 and appointed justice minister shortly after.