Ontario Provincial Police said on Friday that a former Thunder Bay police chief has been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing investigation into misconduct.

The Crown's office stated that police arrested 57-year-old Sylvie Hoth from Ottawa and charged her with two counts of obstructing justice and one count of breach of trust.

The force stated that Hoth was subsequently released and is scheduled to appear in court on May 7. Her lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

These charges represent the third arrest in the Crown’s investigation into allegations of misconduct within the Thunder Bay police service.

Holly Walborn, the former internal lawyer for the police service, was charged earlier this week with similar offenses. Walborn's lawyers stated they were shocked by the charges and look forward to defending her in court.

In December, police arrested Officer Michael Demeny and charged him with two counts of assault, breach of trust, and obstructing justice.

These charges come after the Ontario Attorney General asked the Crown's office in late 2021 to look into allegations of misconduct by members of the Thunder Bay police service.

The force has faced intense scrutiny in recent years after reports found that its investigations into the sudden deaths of Indigenous people were marred by racist attitudes and stereotypes, while others raised concerns about the ability of its senior leadership to manage day-to-day operations.

The Crown's investigation began around the same time that the Ontario Civilian Police Commission started its own investigation into allegations of misconduct by senior police members, which also commenced at the request of the province.

This investigation ultimately found that the allegation that Walborn colluded with former police chief Hoth in response to the commission's inquiries was unfounded.

Meanwhile, Hoth was charged with disgraceful conduct and deception under the Police Services Act as part of the commission's investigation. These charges were ultimately dismissed after Hoth resigned a few weeks before her scheduled appearance in a public court early last year.

The Police Services Act charges Hoth either for being aware of the criminal investigation launched by the force against one of her police board members and, despite the conflict of interest, ignoring it or at least failing to promptly refer it to the Crown's office, which eventually took over the investigation.

When the Crown's office did not lay any charges against the board member, Hoth allegedly attempted to cover up her knowledge of the initial investigation the force conducted in a report submitted to the board, according to court documents.