Cops mum on mayor's charges

See Clarington This Week's article "Clarington Mayor charged with assault".

Also there was a story on page 5 of today's Toronto Sun: Cops mum on mayor's charges

By BRODIE FENLON, TORONTO SUN

Durham Regional Police are refusing to release any information about assault charges laid against the mayor of Clarington, citing concerns about identifying victims.

John Mutton, in his second term as mayor of town council, faces two counts of assault and will appear in an Oshawa court July 11, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

Dave Selby, spokesman for the police service, said the report is accurate but he refused to elaborate.

"That is fact. That is factual. But we never released that," Selby said of the charges.
"We're not revealing or releasing any information with regard to that investigation to be consistent with how we've dealt with cases like this is in the past."

"The main focus is the concern about the identification of victims. That's why we did not release the information."

Mutton, who was in Toronto yesterday, declined to comment on the charges.

His page on the town's website says that he is a fifth-generation resident of the area and lives in Newcastle Village area with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children.

Durham Regional Chairman Roger Anderson, who sits on the police services board, also declined comment yesterday. "It's before the courts and I'm sure the courts will deal with it appropriately, as will Mayor Mutton," Anderson said.