Sharmarke Ali has been suspended from duty.

An Ottawa Police officer has been charged with sexual assault and forcible confinement.

Cst. Shamarke Ali, 32, who lists his title on LinkedIn as a "public servant" within the Ottawa Police Service, was arrested this morning relating to an alleged incident on April 13 when, as described in a press release, "at about 3:00 a.m., when an 18 year old woman was approached by a male unknown to her." The release does not contain any further detail, and the Ottawa Police say they will not be commenting further on the case while it is before the courts. Ali was off-duty at the time, police say.

Ali was hired by the Ottawa Police Service in August 2018, meaning he would have still been in his probationary period when the assault was allegedly committed.

According to the OPS, the Ontario Special Investigations Unit was contacted, but did not investigate this issue. The Professional Standards Section has also launched an investigation, and the release notes that charges may be laid under the Police Services Act.

Ali has been suspended from duty, but has been released on bail and will appear in court on June 6, 2019.