Bridgewater, Nova Scotia is not a very big town but this is the
second significant story coming out of it this year. In March,
5 teens were found guilty of sharing nude selfies of their girlfriends
Charges against John Collyer announced by Nova Scotia's
Serious Incident Response Team
CBC News 
John Collyer, chief of police in Bridgewater, N.S., has been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation. (CBC)
The police chief in Bridgewater, N.S., has been charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation involving a 17-year-old girl.
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team announced the charges Thursday morning against John Collyer.
He was made chief of the Lunenburg County town, which has a population of about 8,500, in 2011, and has served with the force since 1990.
Collyer was placed on administrative leave with pay last August after SIRT received information through the RCMP, and then began its investigation.
SIRT did not detail the nature of that information in a report released Thursday.
Evidence received in late April
The offences are alleged to have happened between April 1 and July 31 in 2016. The agency said it interviewed nine civilian witnesses and four police witnesses.
"The investigation included seeking the production of certain documentary evidence from a third party which was not received until the last week of April 2017," said the SIRT report, which does not describe that evidence.
SIRT director Ron MacDonald said he couldn't divulge details on why the disclosure of that evidence took so long.
"It involved some particular legal steps that are not unusual, but are not done every day," he said. "It's just a slow process. … Unfortunately, this is how long it took."
MacDonald said he would not provide any further details so as not to compromise Collyer's right to a fair trial.
When the investigation was announced last year, SIRT also investigated an allegation of obstruction of justice involving Collyer, but MacDonald said he does not expect to lay such a charge in the case.
The Bridgewater Board of Police Commissioners will meet Thursday evening to discuss Collyer's employment status. (CBC)
The Bridgewater Police Service issued a news release that said "the public can be assured that the members of the Bridgewater Police Service remain dedicated to providing professional policing services and protection to the residents and businesses of Bridgewater."
The police service referred all questions about the case to the chair of the Bridgewater Board of Police Commissioners, Patrick Cappello.
Cappello told CBC news that the board is meeting tonight and will discuss Collyer's employment status, including whether he will continue to be on leave with pay or whether his employment will be terminated.
"On behalf of the Board of Police Commissioners, I wish to clearly state that our board has full confidence in the Bridgewater Police Service and its members, and we trust that they will continue to provide their usual level of professional and outstanding police service to our community," he said in a news release.
Deputy Chief Scott Feener has been doing Collyer's duties since he was placed on leave.
Collyer is scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on June 14. (Rob Short/CBC)
SIRT sexual assault charges 'not usual'
Over the past five years, SIRT has laid sexual assault charges against two other officers and investigated three or four other cases that did not result in charges, said MacDonald.
"I wouldn't say it's common, but we have laid other charges of sexual assault against police officers," he said. "So it does happen. It's certainly not usual, though."
During the five years ended March 31, SIRT opened 136 investigations, which resulted in 23 charges being laid.
Collyer is scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on June 14.
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