CFB Wainwright commanding officer charged with sexual assault
Posted May 3, 2013 7:01 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The commanding officer at CFB Wainwright in Alberta has been removed from his post after allegations surfaced Thursday of sexual assault.
Military officials are keeping tight-lipped about the details, but they have revealed it stems from an incident last Remembrance Day.
Along with the criminal charges, Major David Yurczyszyn faces counts of drunkenness and disgraceful conduct under the National Defence Act.
The commander of Western Canada, Brigadier General Christian Juneau, placed Yurczyszyn on administrative leave; he’s now doing his duties from home.
“The actions of Major Yurczyszyn have caused me to lose confidence in this officer’s ability to effectively exercise the functions of command,” Juneau said in a release. “We expect the highest standard of professionalism and conduct from our leaders, especially those entrusted with command authority.”
Lieutenant Jessica MacDonald, spokesperson for the 1 Area Support Group says the Army is now going to conduct a review.
“This is to determine if further charges are necessary,” she explains. “This administrative review is independent of the charges.”
A trial date has not been set; officials have already named an acting commanding officer to replace Yurczyszyn at Wainwright.
This isn’t the first time he’s been in hot water with the law.
In 2001, Yurczyszyn was charged with making homemade pornography and showcasing it at military parties.
It featured another solider having sex with a woman, in an apartment at CFB Kingston.
A judge dismissed the charges against him because there wasn’t enough evidence to support a conviction.
He took command of CFB Wainwright in June.
It’s considered the area’s largest employer with more than 1,000 military and civilian employees.
