A sergeant with 37 years of service with the police force in Saint John, N.B., has been charged with sexual assault and breaching public trust.

A Saint John Police Force news release says it received a public complaint about the sergeant on Feb. 20.

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Four days later, the force referred the matter to the Serious Incident Response Team, the police oversight agency for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The force says the sergeant is scheduled to appear in court next week.

He will be suspended from his duties, pending the criminal proceedings in court.

The force did not provide the sergeant’s name, nor did it respond to an email from The Canadian Press asking for the man’s name.