Details of a conduct board review that led to the ordered resignation of a Williams Lake police officer were released earlier this month.
Constable Olavo Castro was accused of operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and of pointing a restricted firearm at two civilians while he was off-duty on medical leave.
According to a document of the decision, Castro veered his Ford F-350 pickup truck across a road and pulled up next to two men that were walking and had just left the Williams Lake Stampede on July 1st, 2022.
The document says he rolled down his window and asked the two men if they had a problem before reaching into his hoodie and pulling out a handgun and placing it on his stomach.
He is then accused of pointing the handgun at the two men and of asking once again “do we have a problem here ?”
The two men claimed that Castro then drove off toward the stampede grounds and that they then went to an on-duty police officer who was engaged in a nearby traffic stop to report the incident.
The vehicle was then located driving in the parking lot of the rodeo grounds just after 2 a.m.
RCMP noticed an odour of liquor on his breath and that his eyes were slightly watery.
In addition, they noticed an open can of liquor in the center console of the vehicle.
The document indicates that Castro then failed a breath test for alcohol and received a 90-day driving prohibition and had his truck impounded for 30 days.
The board noted that Castro had been diagnosed with PTSD and alcohol-use disorder in May of 2022, but determined that these incidents amounted to “discreditable conduct” and that his loss of employment was necessary.
Castro was also charged with a criminal offence and pleaded guilty to possession of a restricted firearm in November of 2023 and received a suspended sentence and 12 months probation.
