Thunder Bay police Chief J.P. Levesque goes on trial Monday
He faces charges of breach of trust, obstructing justice in case tied to mayor, prominent lawyer
The police chief in Thunder Bay, Ont., will go on trial Monday, after being charged with breach of trust and obstructing justice in May.
The charges are intertwined with the cases of two other high-profile people in Thunder Bay — Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs and lawyer Alexander (Sandy) Zaitzeff — who face a number of other charges,
- Thunder Bay police chief charged with breach of trust
- Thunder Bay mayor charged with extortion: a timeline
J.P. Levesque was charged on May 23 by the Ontario Provincial Police, in connection with an alleged disclosure of confidential information about Mayor Hobbs. The investigation was originally requested by the RCMP. The offence was alleged to have taken place between Dec. 14 and Dec 26, 2016.
OPP investigator Martin Graham told CBC News that Levesque, "being an official, namely a peace officer, did commit a breach of trust in connection with the duties of his office by disclosing confidential information concerning Keith Hobbs."
Levesque has been on medical leave since the charges were laid.
Levesque will be tried by judge alone. He waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Staff Sgt. Carolle Dionne with the OPP said the charges against Levesque stem from the same investigation that led to charges being laid against Mayor Hobbs and his wife, Marisa Hobbs.
The Hobbses and Thunder Bay resident Mary Voss have been charged with extortion by the OPP, with Keith and Marisa Hobbs also facing charges of obstruction of justice.
Zaitzeff has been charged with assault, sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and mischief. The details of these charges are subject to a publication ban.
Court documents allege that Keith Hobbs, Marisa Hobbs and Voss attempted to induce Zaitzeff to purchase a house for Voss. In that transaction, court documents said the three used "threats, accusations or menaces of disclosing criminal allegations to the police, thereby committing extortion."
Keith Hobbs made a statement of claim related to Zaitzeff's actions, and alleged that Zaitzeff told Hobbs he would "submarine and bury him."
Zaitzeff was arrested and charged on Nov. 25, 2016, a week after the statement of claim was filed by Keith Hobbs.
There are other twists in the plot, including an allegation that the Hobbses attempted to "obstruct the course of justice in a judicial proceeding by interfering in a criminal investigation into an allegation of extortion reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."
In March of this year, Keith Hobbs launched a lawsuit over the claims and counterclaims, seeking general damages of $750,000 as well as special damages of $100,000 and punitive damages of $100,000.
The OPP told CBC News the charges laid against Voss and the Hobbses all stem from the same investigation that led to charges against Levesque.
The OPP also said it was Levesque who requested the OPP investigate the allegations of wrongdoing by a municipal politician.
Zaitzeff will have a preliminary hearing for his charges on Feb. 21, 2018.
The Hobbses have a court appearance scheduled for Dec. 21.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
