By Sheldon Spackman

back in court

Trial begins for Red Deer Mountie charged with sexual assault with a weapon

Jun 24, 2019 | 4:12 PM

Trial has begun in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench for a City Mountie charged with breach of trust and sexual assault with a weapon stemming from an incident three years ago.

Jason Andrew Tress, 32, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to both counts on Monday.

The charges date back to May 1, 2016 when Red Deer RCMP responded to a domestic dispute at an apartment near 52 Street and 46 Avenue. Tress is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while he and three other officers were at the scene.

It’s not yet known what exactly Tress is accused to have done to the female complainant. It’s likely to become clear when she gives her testimony Tuesday morning.

ASIRT charged Tress with breach of trust in relation to the incident in March 2017. The sexual assault charge came following a preliminary hearing in October 2018.

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Two of the other officers who responded were called as Crown witnesses on Monday.

Cst. Jacqueline Beebor testified that she and Tress responded to the call in one police vehicle shortly after 2:00 a.m., while two other officers in a second vehicle and arrived at roughly the same time.

Beebor, who was being trained by Tress at the time, told court the incident appeared to involve two females and one male, with her assignment being to obtain a statement from one of the women involved, while Tress spoke to the other.

Beebor told court she spoke with one of the women in the dining room of the two-bedroom apartment, while Tress spoke with the second female, the alleged victim, alone in a bedroom with the door “mostly closed.” As a result, Beebor said she became concerned as she could no longer see her partner or hear anything behind the door despite being less than 10 feet away.

She estimated Tress and the complainant, whose name is under a court-ordered publication ban, were alone in the bedroom for roughly 10-15 minutes. She also noted the woman was no longer wearing a black blazer over her white shirt when the two came out of the bedroom.

Beebor later brought her concerns to Cst. Christopher Valade, who also attended the scene, with Valade referring her to a more senior officer for advice. Beebor told court Tress became very upset when he found out she had gone to a supervisor.

Valade then testified that Beebor did indeed approach him afterwards, saying, “Something occurred at the scene that made her feel uncomfortable.”

He also corroborated Beebor’s claim that Tress became angry when learned of their course of action following the incident. Valade told court that he, Tress and Beebor went out several weeks later to “bury the hatchet.”

This is Tress’s second trial in as many weeks involving breach of trust and sexual assault-related charges. He was acquitted on Friday on charges of sexual assault and breach of trust in relation to an incident on July 1, 2016. He is scheduled for trial on a count of sexual assault in relation to a third woman from an incident that happened in 2012.