New charges for WRPS officer previously acquitted of sexual assault

CTV Kitchener: Cop suspended again A Waterloo Regional Police officer previously cleared of sexual assault is facing new criminal charges. Krista Simpson has details.

A police officer facing criminal charges is suing Waterloo Regional Police for how they handled previous allegations against him, CTV News has learned.

In 2012, Const. Jeremy Snyder was charged with sexual assault and suspended from active duty with the organization.

He returned to policing a year and a half later, when he was found not guilty of the offence at trial and related charges laid under the Police Services Act were dropped.

Recently, he had been working as a patrol officer out of the WRPS North Division, which covers Waterloo and parts of Kitchener.

That changed in January, when he was charged with assault, mischief and uttering threats, and again placed on paid suspension.

Police say the allegations relate to an incident that occurred while he was off-duty.

Thursday marked Snyder’s first court appearance on those charges. He spoke for himself and was not accompanied by a lawyer.

Snyder’s criminal case returns to court later this month.

Separately, he has launched a civil lawsuit against Waterloo Regional Police over how they handled his previous charges.

He Citing negligence in the investigation, charge and prosecution, he is seeking $2 million in damages, citing negligence in the investigation, charge and prosecution – all of which, he says, harmed his reputation and his health.

Snyder declined comment for this story, while police declined to comment past detailing the new allegations against the 11-year member of their organization.

“Right now, we’re waiting for the criminal trial to conclude,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Haffner.

“Any previous dealings, whether positive or negative, would potentially impact the court process.”