Article content
After a two-day trial, a judge is set to decide the fate of the Edmonton Police Service Const. Hunter Robinz.
Article content
Robinz began a trial on charges of assault and careless storage of a weapon Thursday. He was suspended without pay last year after his then-fiancée de ella claimed he choked her during an argument at their Stony Plain home de ella. A subsequent search of the home turned up an EPS-issue carbine that prosecutors allege was stored in an unsafe manner.
Robinz, who took the stand in his own defense Friday, testified he only grabbed the woman to stop her from attacking him. His lawyers argued the RCMP’s warrantless search of his home was a violation of his charter rights that was not justified in the circumstances.
Robinz allegedly choked his spouse on March 12, 2021, when he was on desk duty as part of an internal disciplinary investigation. Despite being ordered to surrender his sidearm, Robinz had taken home an EPS carbine, which he allegedly stored in his bedroom closet.
Article content
The woman went to Parkland RCMP the following day. Three RCMP officers testified that when they learned Robinz was a police officer who had earlier been ordered to surrender his weapon, they decided to seize the carbine without waiting for a warrant, justifying their actions under Section 117 of the Criminal Code.
Defense lawyer Ajay Juneja argued the search was illegal and that the RCMP did not do enough to verify the woman’s story before entering the home.
Both Crown and defense concluded their cases Friday. Provincial court Judge Peter Ayotte will decide the verdict.