An arrest warrant was issued Thursday afternoon for a former RCMP detachment commander who faces charges of theft and breach of trust.

Stuart Seib, who commanded the Clearwater and Merritt detachments before his arrest last year, did not show up for a scheduled provincial court appearance in Kamloops.

He was slated to either plead guilty or elect to stand trial on two counts of theft under $5,000 as well as a single charge of breach of trust.

The Crown alleges the former officer, who handed in his resignation last year, stole cocaine from a police lockup and then used it. The drug was allegedly taken from police exhibits.

Seib, an 18-year veteran of the RCMP, was suspended as head of Merritt detachment in January last year.

Following the allegation in January, two more charges — theft under $5,000 and breach of trust — were filed in May. RCMP traced back and investigated files Seib handled prior to his initial charges.

Seib was stationed in Clearwater until November 2011, when he was transferred to Merritt. He was a well-liked member of the RCMP, who wrote columns in a Clearwater newspaper highlighting the detachment’s success in tackling illicit drugs.

He was represented by Kelowna lawyer Neville McDougall. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.