An RCMP tribunal has demoted a respected staff sergeant for assaulting his estranged wife.
Owen Wlodarczak nodded his head slightly as the three-member panel lowered his rank to sergeant after a hearing in Kelowna on Wednesday. The RCMP inspectors, all from out of province, could have ordered his dismissal but ruled his "outstanding" record, his remorse, and efforts to get psychological help saved his job.
"This is very serious. We hope this is a momentary blotch on what's been an exemplary career," said Insp. Gerald Annetts, who spoke for the tribunal.
Wlodarczak, whose ex-wife and mother-in-law were in the room, rushed out as soon as the hearing ended.
The Kelowna Mountie pleaded guilty in July to assault and careless use of a firearm after striking his ex-wife in the face eight to 10 times while their two children stood by in early May.
He received a conditional discharge in court. If he obeys the conditions of his probation for three years, he'll have a clean criminal record.
Senior officers ordered an internal review to determine how Wlodarczak should be disciplined within the RCMP. The hearing at the Fairfield By Marriott hotel lasted three days.
The prosecutor called for Wlodarczak to be dismissed from the RCMP. His lawyer suggested he forfeit 10 days of his pay or be demoted to sergeant.
The tribunal found the assault was "unacceptable" and "reprehensible," especially because he's a police officer who attacked a vulnerable victim. Mounties hold themselves to a stricter code of discipline, but Wlodarczak "failed in that regard," said Annetts.
Ironically, Wlodarczak has worked as a polygraph operator (often referred to as a lie detector) who investigates serious cases of domestic violence.
Court was told in August his actions on May 4 at a West Kelowna home were out of keeping with his character, but were brought on in part by job-related stress, financial problems and a dispute over the custody of the two children, now ages 8 and 15.
The couple separated last year. The woman, whose name is protected by a publication ban, told him she was seeking sole custody of their daughters.
The girls were playing in a field near their home in West Kelowna when Wlodarczak drove up in a police car dressed in plain clothes. He called the girls over to where his ex-wife sat in a chair and punched her in the head with both fists, she said.
Wlodarczak followed her to the house, where he pointed a loaded gun at her, then at his own head as the girls watched, she said. They ran from the house and saw him drive toward them. He got out with his gun on his hip. "He stood there, so we turned around and started running for our lives. My eldest daughter had picked up a shovel to try and protect us from him. He lost his mind," his ex-wife said in July.
The tribunal, which included Annetts of Edmonton, Insp. James Knopp of Ottawa and Insp. Frank Smart of Calgary, ruled the attack was not pre-meditated. They accepted evidence that Wlodarczak intended to say good-bye and go elsewhere to take his own life.
Wlodarczak co-operated with the investigation, pleaded guilty to the offences and showed genuine remorse on the witness stand, the panel found. He has "done everything he could" to rehabilitate himself and seek the medical help he needs, Annetts said.
After the hearing, his ex-wife said she was exhausted. Her eldest daughter underwent brain surgery on Dec. 13. Wlodarczak has visited her but not his youngest daughter.
"He's remorseful to everyone else. He hasn't been remorseful to me or my extended family or his parents," she said. "I don't know how the general public will accept him. He has a big, hard road ahead of him."