B.C. RCMP officer charged with assault

A Fraser Valley RCMP officer has been charged with assault causing bodily harm in connectionwith an alleged on-duty incidentmore than two years ago.

Const. Mike Cardinal, of the Ridge-Meadows RCMP detachment, is alleged to have assaulted a male during an arrest after several officers responded to a report of a noisy party in the Metro Vancouver city of Coquitlam Feb 21, 2008.

The complainant claims Cardinal hit him on the face with a flashlight. The man was treated at the scene by paramedics and then taken to police cells where he was later released without charge.

Second officer charged in amonth

The RCMP is conducting its own investigation of Cardinal's conduct, after which he could face a disciplinary hearing, Sgt. Rob Vermeulen said in a release Friday.

Cardinal, whohas remained on active duty since the alleged assault,is scheduled to appear in court June 14.

He's the second B.C. Mountie to face assault charges in a month after Const. Imran Saeed of Surrey was hit with a third assault charge related to two incidents three months apart last year.

They occurred while he was on duty and involve an accusation that Saeed assaulted a woman after he stopped her for a traffic violation.