A Peel Regional Police officer is facing three charges, including assault on a superior officer, following two separate incidents last December.

In a news release, Peel police said Tuesday that Const. Stephen Dudzinski, who had been with the police service for 21 years, was charged with assault with a weapon, mischief and causing a disturbance.

Police allege Dudzinski assaulted a supervisor with a weapon while on duty after a verbal confrontation on Dec. 9.

In December, citing a police source, the Mississauga News reported that Dudzinski had been suspended with pay following this incident, which took place at 12 Division. The source told Mississauga News that Peel officer Sgt. John Rocha questioned Dudzinski’s fitness for duty. After Dudzinski took a breathalyzer test, a fight ensued and Dudzinski punched Rocha, giving him a bloody nose, the source said.

In another incident on Dec. 20, police said in the news release that Dudzinski was off duty and caused damage to property and caused a disturbance at a car dealership in Mississauga.

Dudzinski now faces charges of with assault with a weapon, mischief and causing a disturbance. He’ll be in court on September 30 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

“The actions of the officer while on- and off-duty were serious and investigated as such,” acting Peel police chief Ingrid Berkeley-Brown told the Mississauga News on Tuesday. “Our members are, and will be held accountable for their actions to maintain the trust we have established with our community.”

TY Tom Yun is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star’s radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @thetomyun

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