New BrunswickA man accused of impersonating an RCMP officer and threatening several women has pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges he faces and will stand trial over two days in November. Daniel Downey elected Wednesday to be tried by provincial court judge on 22 chargesShane Magee · CBC News · Posted: Sep 17, 2025 3:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 17RCMP say searches of two homes in August led to seizing firearms, police uniforms, lights and other equipment. (RCMP/Submitted)A man accused of impersonating an RCMP officer and threatening several women has pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges he faces and will stand trial over two days in November. Daniel Ray Downey, 58, of Pointe-du-Chêne briefly appeared in Moncton provincial court Wednesday afternoon for what was scheduled to be a bail hearing. Defence lawyer Daniel Gallant told the judge that instead Downey would reserve his right to seek bail at a future date. Gallant said Downey was electing to be tried on 22 of the 23 charges he faces in provincial court, which means he will be tried by judge alone, and requested trial dates be set. Crown prosecutor Clémence Talbot said the trial is expected to take two days. Trial dates were scheduled for Nov. 25 and 27. Returns to court next weekGallant said Downey wasn’t prepared to enter an election or a plea on one charge alleging a 2023 arson. That case returns to court Sept. 25. Downey remains in custody. The 22 charges he pleaded not guilty to include various alleged firearms offences, uttering threats to harm several women, conspiring and attempting to personate a police officer, and attempted arson.� Personating a peace officer is a charge under the Criminal Code of Canada. WATCH | N.B. man charged with impersonating Mountie pleads not guilty:Trial date set for southeast N.B. man accused of impersonating RCMP officerA man accused of impersonating an RCMP officer and possessing stolen police uniforms and equipment has pleaded not guilty to 22 of the charges he faces. He will stand trial on the accusations in late November. New Brunswick RCMP said in a news release last month that officers from the Shediac detachment responded Aug. 26 to a report that a person possessed a retired police car, police uniforms and other equipment, and intended to commit crimes while personating a police officer. Police say officers carried out searches of two homes in Pointe-du-Chêne. Downey was arrested at one of the homes.RCMP say officers seized two firearms, pieces of police uniforms, a Ford Taurus, radios, lights and sirens. New Brunswick RCMP previously told CBC News that Downey “has never worked for the RCMP and has no association with the organization.”During a Moncton council meeting on Monday, Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Benoit Jolette told councillors that members of Codiac assisted with the investigation. Jolette said the similarities to the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia by a man with a replica RCMP cruiser and uniform were “frightening.” Jolette last week told the Codiac Regional Policing Authority that he “can’t speak about [Downey’s] intentions, but the similarities to the Nova Scotia mass casualty are literally terrifying.”ABOUT THE AUTHORShane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC.
N.B. man accused of impersonating police officer pleads not guilty
