Chatham-Kent Police Chief Gary Conn is calling it a "difficult and trying time for both our service and the citizens of Chatham-Kent."
That is just part of a statement from the police chief in response to the guilty plea from disgraced CK police sergeant Robert Mugridge.
Conn says Mugridge's Police Services Act hearing that started in February is expected to re-convene and wrap up in December.
It's expected that Mugridge will be dismissed from the force at that time, which is the strictest discipline a police officer can face as a result of a Police Services Act hearing. The prosecutor and the defence have already entered a joint submission in regards to the penalty.
In Conn's statement, he also addressed the amount of time it has taken for the hearing and the court case to wrap up, saying "both processes take significant amount of time, however we [the Chatham-Kent Police Service] did everything in our power to expedite these investigations."
Mugridge has been suspended with pay since May 2014.
He has a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 9, 2018 after pleading guilty to one count of fraud over $5,000.
