New Brunswick

Ex-Mountie charged with assault, impersonating police officer

A former RCMP officer will be back in court next month after being charged with three counts of assault and one count of impersonating a police officer.

Lawrence Allen Burden of Bayside retired from RCMP in May after serving 34 years

A former RCMP officer will be back in court next month after being charged with three counts of assault and one count of impersonating a police officer.

Lawrence Allen Burden, 56, appeared in St. Stephen court on Tuesday.

The charges relate to an alleged incident in St. Andrews on May 30 of this year.

The three assault charges are being prosecuted as summary conviction offences, which are less serious than indictable offences.

RCMP Const. Julie Rogers-Marsh confirmed to CBC that Burden retired from the RCMP as a sergeant.

The Linkedin profile for Larry Burden of Bayside indicates he retired in May after 34 years in the RCMP.

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

Burden is also a former vice-commodore of the St. Andrews Yacht Club.

Burden is scheduled to return to court Nov. 3 to enter pleas.