WHITBY, Ont. -- Ontario's ombudsman rushed to judgment when he publicly identified a Durham region detective as the source of offensive comments on Twitter, which were in fact posted by another cop, the force's chief said Monday.

Chief Mike Ewles said an internal investigation showed the detective named by ombudsman Andre Marin earlier this month had nothing to do with the tweets.

It's "troubling to me that a high-ranking public official like the Ombudsman of Ontario would rush to judgment and identify any person, without the benefit of some sort of objective investigation and evidence," Ewles said.

The officer identified by Marin is "an outstanding" police officer who has had his personal and professional life turned upside down for no reason, Ewles said.

Marin said in a statement Monday evening he was surprised Durham police had completed their investigation so quickly and commended them for taking the matter so seriously.

"Regrettably, it appears that a Durham police officer not only personally attacked public officials on Twitter, but impersonated a colleague in doing so," Marin said, adding that both he and the detective had been "duped by this disgraceful malicious act."

On Aug. 8, Marin received several tweets from an account identified as "Joe Mayo," prior to a news conference he was holding on the shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim by Toronto police.

Tweets from the same account had previously been sent to a Toronto city councillor, criticizing her position on Yatim's death on an empty streetcar on July 27.

Marin said he was called a "carded member of Al Qaida" among other insults, and said the same Twitter user told him not to stick his nose in "business it doesn't belong."

The Twitter account was later deleted, but Marin identified the tweeter by name as a Durham regional detective.

An internal investigation determined that the officer was on annual leave and had no idea the Twitter account even existed. Investigators found it had been opened by a fellow police officer without his knowledge or consent.

Ewles also said he's concerned that one of his officers allegedly used a fellow officer's information to create a fictitious Twitter account and then use it for "such offensive purposes."

"That officer will be held to account," he said.

Marin said at the time that he would fully co-operate with the police investigation into the tweets, but Durham detectives said Monday they made several attempts to interview the ombudsman, but have yet to speak with him.

A Durham regional police detective -- who will not be named until his Police Services Act hearing -- remains on duty but has been removed from his current assignment, police said.

"With very few rules and even less accountability in the world of social media, it's not the first time someone has landed in hot water," Ewles said.

"Politicians and celebrities are usually the culprits. This is a first for us here at the DRPS."