Regina Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Misusing Database for Personal Relationships
A highly regarded Officer of the Order of Canada with over 20 years of service, Robert Eric Semenchak, has admitted to improperly accessing a law enforcement database to pursue intimate relationships with approximately 30 women, some of whom were victims of domestic violence or facing suicidal thoughts.
Semenchak, 53, from the Regina Police Service in Saskatchewan, entered his guilty plea in court on Friday. He is set to face sentencing in January.
According to police, Semenchak, who has been awarded medals for his commendable service throughout his 22-year career, allegedly used sensitive information to connect with women who were unaware of his background.
While court documents have identified at least 24 women, sources suggest that the actual number could be as high as 30.
From the accounts shared, many women described strikingly similar experiences. Semenchak reportedly used false names and would send seemingly harmless messages which led to ongoing communications. Women interviewed by media reported that these messages often evolved into persistent texting.
He frequently adopted the personas of “Jay Lewis” or “Steve Perkins,” pretending to be a contractor or project manager.
One woman, identified only as K, recalled receiving an unexpected message during her stay at a women’s shelter after escaping domestic violence. At a particularly vulnerable time, she found the exchanges comforting, leading to four years of communication. However, by 2023, doubts about his true identity began surfacing.
She thought, “Do I really know this guy?” After using facial recognition software on a photo she sent, she discovered it was of a man in a police jacket—confirmed to be Semenchak by a police acquaintance.
Her reaction was intense. “Words can’t express the emotions I felt; fear was certainly the first,” she explained, troubled by the power he possessed.
The woman reported the situation to the police, which triggered a two-year internal investigation. In her view, the person she had communicated with was, in fact, a fabrication.
Another woman, known as C, shared her experience of being contacted by someone calling himself Steve. “I had been searching for someone for so long,” she recounted. Though their relationship unfolded over a year and a half, it became controlling and demanding, leading to frequent requests for explicit photos. She was left bewildered about why she was targeted in the first place.
Megan Hillsdon, a disabled single mother recovering from surgery, recalled mistakenly responding to a message just before Christmas 2022. She later learned that police suspected Semenchak had targeted her.
A different woman, H, mentioned that Semenchak reached out to her as a police officer after a domestic incident in 2019 and continued to send her late-night texts for months, describing the situation as “really inappropriate.” Her mother expressed similar concerns upon learning about the messages.
The investigation remains ongoing, and Semenchak’s lawyer has yet to respond to inquiries. He resigned from the military in April.
