Texting 15-year-old girl central to early investigation into Surrey, BC police officer before his death

A BC police officer who committed suicide earlier this year was under RCMP investigation for inappropriate texting a teen he met at work, including messages asking the girl if she goes “wild” when she’s drunk and asks her to play truth or dare.

The details of the allegations against Cpl. Dilbag “Dylan” Hothi, 26, is first seen in redacted court documents obtained by CBC News after successfully challenging a court order to keep the files from the public.

The officer was arrested and suspended after the investigation began last summer, but was never charged with criminal charges and the charges were never tested in court. The criminal investigation was in its early stages at the time of his death in February.

After his death, the Corps confirmed that Hothi was the same officer suspended for breach of trust charges. In seeking more information on the case, CBC News found that all court records surrounding his case had been sealed from the public.

A judge ordered that redacted versions of the documents be released after a hearing on Thursday, ruling that the family’s privacy concerns do not outweigh the Canadian court’s principle of openness and transparency.

Hothi met teenager while responding to call: statement

A Surrey RCMP investigator laid out the main allegations against Hothi in an affidavit – or affidavit – signed in November. The document said the case started last August after the teenage girl, then 15, showed Mounties her text messages with Hothi.

The girl told detectives she met the police officer when he responded to a call to help her friend a few days earlier, documents said. She said she exchanged numbers with Hothi so she could update him on her boyfriend’s whereabouts.

She said she told the officer she was 15 and he told her he was 26.

The girl told RCMP that she initially texted Hothi on his work number, but he later asked her to message him on his personal phone instead.

She said that Hothi had asked her to meet on two separate occasions in the following days and at one point asked her if she “goes wild” after drinking alcohol.

‘ said Hothi [the girl] that he gets “wild and horny” when he drinks,” the document said, referring to the teen’s statement to RCMP.

Hothi and the girl finally made plans to meet around 10 or 10:30 PM on August 14. She said that he suggested a game of “truth or dare” as soon as they got together in person, but her texts stopped coming to Hothi’s phone. 10 pm

The girl went to Surrey RCMP and showed them the texts that evening, the documents said.

Mounties later seized both of Hothi’s iPhones. An analyst who examined screenshots in September said the officer and teen exchanged 40 text messages between Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, according to court documents. Another officer who reviewed the screenshots said that Hothi had sent the girl a photo of herself in sweatpants and a sleeveless shirt.

Investigating Surrey RCMP officers also searched his police notebook but returned it as it did not contain any evidence, documents said.

Hothi was later arrested on August 17 and suspended with pay.

Six months later, on February 8, Hothi committed suicide at an indoor firing range in Langley, about 30 miles southeast of Vancouver. He found out on Thursday that Surrey Police would be issuing a press release about him.

The Surrey Police Service (SPS) declined to comment on the unsealed documents.

Previously, the SPS had only said that Hothi had been suspended over an investigation related to breach of trust – a charge that could be brought if investigators believe a police officer has committed a crime that violates their duties or position of trust in society.

Surrey RCMP has declined to share details of the investigation and has not confirmed whether Hothi was about to face charges at the time of his death.

The force did not respond to a request for additional comment.

Family argues that documents are not in the public interest

At Thursday’s hearing to unlock the documents, family lawyer Nathan Lidder argued that the documents should remain sealed because the investigation was still in its infancy at the time of Hothi’s death. He said the information would negatively affect the officer’s next of kin.

Lidder also stressed that Hothi has never been charged with any crime and noted that the officer no longer has a chance to defend the charges.

“[The release to the public] would be an affront to the proper administration of justice,” Lidder said.

After about an hour and a half of hearing lawyers on both sides, the judge ordered that the documents be unsealed.

“I feel that the impact on the public goal of privacy and dignity is outweighed by the court’s principle of openness,” Judge Jay Solomon told the court.

“In my opinion, the public purpose of openness is better served by the disclosure of the information sought.”

Hothi previously served with Surrey RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces.

BC’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), concluded in March that the RCMP’s response to the firing range played no role in Hothi’s death.