Chestermere city staffer charged with assault in connection with January incident
A city staffer in Chestermere is now facing a formal charge of assault after police were made aware of an incident while she was working at city hall last month.
Chestermere RCMP laid that charge against 56-year-old Kim Leanne Wallace.
Wallace is the City of Chestermere’s director of corporate services.
She has also acted in a chief-of-staff role in the past.
CTV News approached Wallace about this incident earlier this week, at which time she said these allegations are “very, very false.”
RCMP say they were made aware of an incident at Chestermere city hall on Jan. 26 and launched an investigation.
Wallace was arrested Wednesday.
She has since been released from custody and is set to return to provincial court in Strathmore on March 3.
'GOOSE CHASE'
Chestermere Mayor Jeff Colvin previously denied this incident took place, calling it a wild goose chase for the media that was exaggerated and propagated by people with their own political agendas.
He added that he is willing to co-operate with an RCMP investigation and any next steps that might take place.
“We definitely have to work with any authorities, of course. And again, our job is to make sure that you know everything in our city is protecting the safety of our citizens and of course our staff and management. We take that very seriously,” Colvin said.
Following the publication of this article, Colvin sent CTV News the following statement:
"This is about a personnel matter and it is not appropriate or legally permissible for the city to share personal information on our employees and personnel matters," he said.
"That being said we can confirm that we are aware of the charge against one of our employees for allegedly tapping/poking on the shoulder of a manager by their manager and that employee is not currently attending city hall. I would like to confirm that I have not been provided or seen any official information that anyone was struck or slapped.
"This concerns me that the media is sensationalizing and misleading the public, at the expense of our two city staff members," he added. "The city takes very seriously its commitment to a safe and respectful workplace and is in the process of its own review and investigation of the matter."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.