Court proceedings against two Watson Lake RCMP officers charged with sex crimes will continue in Whitehorse later this month.

Graham Belak and Shawn McLaughlin were accused of sexual assault on March 8, 2009, and formal charges were laid by their detachment commander the next day. The two were not working at the time of the alleged assault, and have since been taken off-duty, but continue to be paid by the force.

The two were scheduled to enter guilty or not guilty pleas in Watson Lake today, according to court documents. No pleas were entered, however, and neither man appeared in court. The defence lawyer on duty spoke on their behalf.

Their next court date is scheduled for June 24 in Whitehorse, when the Crown prosecution will choose to pursue the charges as either summary or indictable offences.

Because of the close working relationship between the local Crown prosecutors and the RCMP, Edmonton's assistant chief prosecutor Robert Beck has been brought in from Edmonton to handle the case.

Investigations into the allegations were handled by the Edmonton police force after the initial inquiries were made by local RCMP officers.