2 Toronto police officers accused of eating marijuana on duty face criminal charges
CBC News | Posted: May 23, 2018 4:04 PM | Last Updated: May 23, 2018
Both officers charged with obstruction of justice and breach of trust
Two Toronto police officers who made headlines for allegedly consuming marijuana edibles while on duty and then calling for backup are now facing obstruction of justice and breach of trust charges.
Toronto police allege that on Jan. 27 and 28, the pair "attempted to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, by destroying or converting to their own use, evidence."
Police further accuse the officers of committing breach of trust on the same day.
Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said the officers were arrested on Tuesday.
Gray declined to provide specific details about the case because it is before the courts, but said the allegations stem from the officers' participation in executing a search warrant at a local marijuana dispensary.
Officer called for backup, sources say
CBC Toronto reported earlier this year that the two officers who work at 13 Division were on duty not far from the station at Eglinton Avenue West and Allen Road, in northwest Toronto, when they allegedly ingested pot edibles.
Police sources said the officers began to complain of "hallucinations" and one made a call for an officer needing assistance. Both officers were found in a police vehicle and later treated in hospital.
During the call, another officer responding to the scene slipped on ice and required medical attention. That officer suffered a head injury.
In the days before the incident, Toronto police carried out a raid at Community Cannabis Clinic. Sources told CBC Toronto the edibles the officers ingested are believed to have come from that dispensary.
Const. Vittorio Dominelli, 36, who has 13 years of service, and Const. Jamie Young, 35, who has 2½ years of service, have been charged. Both officers have been suspended with pay and are scheduled to appear in court on June 7.