Retired Mountie has charge of impersonating an officer dropped

Charges were withdrawn against a retired St. Andrews-area RCMPsergeant on Tuesday morning.

Lawrence Burden, 56,of Bayside had been accused of impersonating a police officer and three counts of summary assault.

They relate to an incident on May 30in St. Andrews in which Burden was alleged to havethreatened three people.

In court Tuesday morning, Burden's lawyer, Rod MacDonald, said his client is "prepared to admit the allegations".

Burden accepted a peace bond to have no contact with the three parties for one year. The crown then withdrew all four charges.

Burden did not speak during the court appearance and did not speak to a reporter afterward. RCMP have confirmed he retired from the force as a sergeant.

The LinkedIn profile for Larry Burden of Bayside indicates he retired in May after 34 years as a Mountie.

He describes himself as a "leading expert" in the field of recreational boat crime, stating he has "lectured across Canada, the United States, and in Germany, and Belgium."