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Calgary millionaire paid $800,000 to PI firm to 'discredit and harass' ex-spouse, jurors told

Meghan Grant | CBC News | Posted: September 18, 2018 6:30 PM | Last Updated: September 19, 2018

Steve and Heather Walton, Ken Carter face corruption-related charges

Image | Ken Carter Steve Walton

Caption: Ken Carter, left, and Steve Walton (along with Walton's wife) are accused of harassing Carter's ex-girlfriend. (Photo submitted, getthedopeondope.com)

The man accused of paying more than $800,000 to discredit and harass his ex-girlfriend, who was also the mother of his daughter, nicknamed her "the reptile" as their custody battle intensified, jurors in the corruption trial heard Tuesday.
The three-week jury trial began Tuesday morning for Steve and Heather Walton and Ken Carter who are accused of criminal harassment, among other charges.
Steve Walton is a retired CPS officer while his wife, Heather, used to be a civilian member of the service. The couple ran a private investigation firm that was hired by Carter during a bitter custody dispute with his ex, Akele Taylor.

'Campaign to discredit and harass'

Carter — who is said to be worth about $80 million — allegedly directed the PI firm in a "campaign to discredit and harass" Taylor, after their breakup in 2012, said prosecutor Katherine Love in her opening statement to the jury.
Aside from the harassment charge, the Waltons each face charges of bribing an officer, accused of paying police officers to access private information from CPS databases.
Carter paid the Waltons more than $800,000 with a goal to "push [Taylor] over the edge and force her to stop fighting" for custody of her child, said Love.
Love told jurors they will hear Taylor's harassment included:
  • Having a GPS unit placed on her car.
  • Being followed and watched for months.
  • Family and friends offered "large sums" of money in exchange for negative information about her.
  • A Walton employee tried to "buy access" to Taylor's condo.
  • A Walton employee tried to buy the condo.
  • Taylor was falsely reported to police for breaking into her own storage locker.
  • The Waltons attempted to get a retired officer try to purchase drugs from Taylor.

Carter breaks down in court

One of the Crown's first witnesses was Aristidis Tipouikitis who owned the condo rented by Taylor.
Tipouikitis testified that suspended CPS officer Tony Braile — who court later heard worked for the Waltons — tried to "gain access" to Taylor's condo by offering the owner $2,500. When Tipouikitis refused, Braile then suggested he might be interested in buying the condo instead, but that never happened.
Under cross-examination, Tipouikitis told Carter's lawyer Gavin Wolch that Taylor's apartment was a "disaster" and that he once observed her daughter on the kitchen floor alone. Tipouikitis said he believed Taylor was high on cocaine at the time.
"I wouldn't want any child in that, let alone my own," said Tipouikitis.
As he talked about the child, Carter began to cry in the courtroom and was comforted by Steve Walton.

'The reptile'

Social worker Evelyn Wotherspoon was involved with Carter and Taylor after their breakup, providing an evaluation of the former couple's daughter and supervising visits between the girl and her mother.
Wotherspoon said on one occasion Carter called Taylor "the reptile." The witness said she encouraged Carter's lawyer to suggest his client refrain from using that language.
Retired CPS officer Rob Wilson testified he was hired by Steve Walton in 2012 to surveil Taylor in an effort to find evidence which would discredit her for the purposes of a custody hearing.

Walton's former partner testifies

Steve Walton and Wilson have known each other for nearly 40 years and the two used to be police partners back in the 1980s.
Wilson said Taylor knew she was being followed, confronting him on one of the approximately 10 surveillance shifts he conducted.
Under cross-examination, Wilson told Heather Walton's lawyer Kelsey Sitar that he did not believe any of the surveillance he participated in was illegal.
"If anything struck you as troublesome, you would have quit?" asked Sitar. "Your integrity is more important to you than money?"
"Absolutely," Wilson responded.

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