Many residents of Clearwater and area were shocked Wednesday afternoon to learn that Staff Sergeant Stu Seib had been arrested charged with theft from a drug exhibit.As a sergeant, Seib had been NCO-in-charge of the Clearwater RCMP detachment for more than eight years, and was well liked and respected in the community. He left last fall to take charge of the Merritt detachment and was promoted to staff sergeant at the time.According to a statement from Mike Sekela, the chief superintendent responsible for the Southeast District, police became aware last Friday that Seib had allegedly stolen and used drug exhibits.“I ordered a statutory investigation and an internal Code of Conduct investigation be initiated,” said Sekela. “I immediately deployed a team made up of senior experienced officers who worked through the weekend on these investigations. The investigations include an audit of all exhibits under the member’s control.”Seib was arrested Tuesday and charged Wednesday with theft. Additional charges are anticipated.The former Clearwater detachment commander has been suspended and his privileges and access to RCMP facilities have been revoked. This would mean that his badge and firearm were seized.Police are proceeding with a recommendation that Seib be suspended without pay. According to Sekela, the E Division (British Columbia) commanding officer has demanded that this be done no later than Friday.“I understand that news like this is very concerning,” said Sekela. “As the officer in charge of all of the detachments in the Southeast District, these actions do not meet my expectations or those of the public.”A senior management team from the RCMP met with community leaders in Merritt on Monday and advised them of the situation.The team also met with the employees at Merritt RCMP detachment. “While the alleged actions of this member are extremely troubling, they are clearly not representative of the high moral and ethical standards of the vast majority of the members of the RCMP,” said the Southeast District chief superintendent.
