A Regina Police Service officer is facing criminal charges after allegedly keeping a prohibited firearm that was handed over to him for destruction during a 2022 provincial gun amnesty. Const. Sheldon Kowalchuk, a seven-year member who was working as a patrol officer at the time, has been charged with Breach of Trust (CC 122) and Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (CC 91(1)). Police allege he obtained a Bushmaster XM15-E2S — an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle that has been prohibited since May 2020 — for his own benefit instead of ensuring it was destroyed. He reportedly went alone to collect the gun after a member of the public called for police to pick it up under the amnesty program (which allowed people to surrender illegal or unwanted firearms without facing charges). The Regina Police Service only became aware of the incident in March 2026 after being alerted by the Saskatchewan Firearms Office. An internal investigation by the Professional Standards Unit followed, and the Crown recommended the charges. The firearm has been seized. Kowalchuk is suspended with pay under the Police Act and is scheduled to make his first appearance in Regina Provincial Court on December 15, 2026. Police say there is no evidence the gun was used or that it posed a public safety risk. Chief Lorilee Davies addressed the charges at a news conference. She called the situation “disappointing” and said, “No chief wants to be the person standing in front of the community saying one of our own has been charged criminally.” She stressed accountability: “It’s important to me that we’re accountable, that we show we have a set of standards, that we’re not sweeping anything under the rug.” She added that she has stood in front of the public in similar situations more times in the past year than she would like, that “these are not easy days for our service,” and that “any type of misconduct will not be condoned.” Davies also noted that police are held to a higher standard of conduct and that the officer failed to meet the expectations of both the service and the community.