A local police officer convicted of assaulting and threatening to kill a woman has provided a sample of his DNA, despite his initial refusal to comply with a judge’s order he described as “absolutely ridiculous.”
Court documents obtained by SooToday show Jarrott Forsyth, 41, had blood taken to complete the DNA order imposed as part of his recent suspended sentence, which also included 18 months probation.
A proposed three-year weapons prohibition was not imposed in the final sentencing.
The sample was taken by a fellow officer from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service on Jan. 24 — the judge’s deadline for Forsyth to comply with the order.
Forsyth pleaded guilty to assaulting and threatening to kill a woman, admitting he grabbed her neck during an argument on June 11, 2023. The death threats occurred between January 2020 and Aug. 21 of last year.
SooToday has chosen not to report on certain details of the case that could identify the victim.
During his sentencing hearing last month, Forsyth told Ontario Court Justice Andrew Buttazzoni that the DNA order was the “biggest violation” and “absolutely ridiculous given the facts of the case.”
If he didn’t comply with the order, Forsyth could have faced a warrant for his arrest with a sentence of up to four years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
In 2018, Forsyth, then a 10-year member of the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, received a conditional discharge after being convicted of assaulting a colleague’s girlfriend. The assault occurred two years earlier during an off-duty confrontation.
SooToday reached out to Sault Police on Monday for confirmation on Forsyth's current status as an officer and whether any charges have been laid against him under the Police Services Act. A response has not yet been provided.
— with files from Linda Richardson
