Regina police officer charged with impaired driving after crash

A nine-year veteran of the Regina Police Service has been charged with impaired driving in connection with a hit-and-run crash that occurred in the Harbour Landing area of the city Wednesday.

Scott Shane Ash, 35, also was charged with having a blood-alcohol content exceeding .08 and failing to stop after an accident.

With the increased focus on impaired driving, Deputy Chief Dean Rae was asked Friday if Ash’s arrest sent a message to the public.

“It’s important for us to tell members of the community that mistakes are made,” Rae said during a media conference at police headquarters. “We’re still out doing our job holding people accountable for their actions, just like we’re doing here.

“We’re holding one of our members accountable, but we’re still going to be out there doing our job and making the community safe for all.”

According to a media release from the police, officers received a report of a two-vehicle collision at about 10 p.m., in the area of Lewvan Drive and Harbour Landing Drive. A truck had sideswiped a smaller vehicle and then had left the scene.

The subsequent investigation found the truck at Ash’s home, where he was arrested within half an hour of the collision occurring. Ash was not on duty at the time of the crash.

He’s to make his first court appearance on Sept. 10.

Ash has been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.

As well, an administrative investigation will be conducted by the Professional Standards Unit of the Regina Police Service; that investigation will wrap up after the criminal matters are complete.

As the police service’s acting chief, Rae had to write up a message to share with employees.

“(The message was) talking about transparency, accountability (and) expectations of our members, telling them and letting them know that these incidents do happen (and) we need to hold ourselves high,” Rae said.

“We talked about our core values of respectful, professional service and the expectations that we want of all our members here.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Evan Radford