Moose Jaw MLA Greg Lawrence charged with assault, choking

Moose Jaw police have charged MLA Greg Lawrence with assault a day after he resigned from the Saskatchewan Party caucus.

In a news release, the police service said Lawrence, 58, was charged Wednesday with assault, along with a separate charge of assault by choking.

Police say the charges were laid in connection with complaints of assault "during interactions between two people." They say the investigation began on June 27, 2023.

Lawrence is scheduled to make his first appearance in Moose Jaw provincial court on March 18.

Yesterday the Saskatchewan Party caucus announced that Lawrence had resigned amid an active police investigation into "historical complaints."

It said the historical complaints are unrelated to his duties as an MLA for Moose Jaw Wakamow.

Lawrence has represented the riding since winning the 2011.

A Saskatchewan Party news release from Sept. 26, 2023, quotes Lawrence stating he would not be running in the 2024 election because of "serious injuries in a motorcycle accident last month."

Although Lawrence is out of the Sask. Party caucus, he will remain an MLA as an independent. The government caucus statement said Lawrence was "fully co-operating with the police investigation."