Charged Mountie was drafted by NHL

The two Mounties charged with sexual assaulting a woman in Watson Lake last weekend are Shawn McLaughlin and Graham Belak.

The two officers were off-duty at the time of the alleged offence, according to the RCMP, who reported the charge Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Whitehorse RCMP detchament announced the two were being investigated for an offence which occurred early last Sunday morning.

The victim, whose name is protected from publication by law, reported the alleged attack on Monday morning.

Police are not saying how long McLaughlin, 32, or Belak, 29, have been with the force nor what ranks they hold.

Their names were not released by police because they have not yet been before a judge or justice of the peace, Sgt. Mark Groves of the Whitehorse detachment said Wednesday.

However, their names are available in the court registry.

The charge itself is being investigated by the Yukon’s major crimes unit, but two other organizations have been called in to oversee the investigation.

Both the Edmonton city police and the Commission for Public Compaints Against the RCMP have sent observers to the territory “to ensure the impartiality of the investigation,” according to an RCMP press release.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Groves said of the case.

The force is making all efforts to show the public they can place trust in the RCMP, he added.

Belak, orignally from North Battleford, Sask., is a former hockey player who was drafted by the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche in 1997.

His brother, Wade, plays professionally for the Nashville Predators of the NHL.

Belak and McLaughlin are scheduled to appear before a justice of the peace in Watson Lake on the morning of Monday, April 6.