Hamilton cop: 'I was not myself,' blamed daughter for false claims

A sloppy bookkeeping system and a feverish, cloudy head following a hospitalization contributed to the situation Sgt. Jason Howard found himself in in late 2013, he told a Police Services Act hearing officer on Monday morning.

But Hamilton Police Service's attorney, Marco Visentini, wasn't buying it.

I feel horrible about the whole thing as a parent and as a police officer.- Sgt. Jason Howard

The hearing is focused on sentencing for Howard, a 16-year veteran of Hamilton police who pleaded guilty to a discreditable conduct charge in July for filing false benefit claims. When confronted about the claims, he blamed his then-12-year-old daughter for the misconduct when he got caught.

Monday morning, Howard was questioned by his attorney, Bernard Cummins, and by Visentini. Both sides will submit their arguments for the sentencing Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.

Howard said he submitted 23 false claims for physiotherapy appointments he didn't go to because he relied on his Blackberry calendar rather than physical receipts. And he said the Percosets he was prescribed following a broken leg that got infected led to him blame his 12-year-old daughter for the false claims when Manulife called him out on it.

He's apologized for the incident, paid Manulife $960 and said blaming his daughter was a made-up story. 

"I feel terrible, what it's done to me and to the police service," Howard said. "I feel horrible about the whole thing as a parent and as a police officer." 

Made up story

Through his questioning, Howard's attorney laid out a series of rough years, starting with a separation from his wife, time with his kids dropping to half the week, a bout of meningitis, a diagnosis of andropause contributing to lost concentration and sleep and finally, the infection in the screws and plate installed in his leg after broke it during a police hockey game.

But Visentini zeroed in on a few of the incidents where claims had been filed a day or two after  an appointment where Howard hadn't gone to physio. One was even filed the same day. Howard submitted five claims for physio appointments in a four-month period when he didn't go once.

When confronted by Manulife, he told the representative that his daughter must have accessed his account and submitted the claims. He shared a story about confronting his daughter about her deception, that "she was bawling and crying and I'm bawling and crying."

He admitted Monday that the story about his daughter never happened and he made it up.

The hearing centred around the integrity of Howard's word as a police officer, a supervisor and as a potential witness in numerous criminal investigations, in light of his guilty plea on the fabricated claims for benefits. 

Howard has  worked on investigations in both the gangs and weapons enforcement unit and the sexual assault unit. He passed the staff sergeant exam with a high score in 2014.

"I can't say what I was thinking at the time," he said. "This entire conversation (with Manulife) is not a representation of me, my work as a police officer or me as a person." 

By the time the Manulife representative called him, he was home with a fever and an IV bag after his broken leg got infected. 

"I was not myself at the time," he said.