Missing video evidence collapses drug case, prompts Toronto detective discipline proceeding
A drug trafficking case has collapsed and a Toronto police detective is facing allegations of deceit and discreditable conduct after he wouldn’t provide surveillance video of a drug bust to prosecutors, CTV News has learned.
Detective Clayton Adams kept giving shifting explanations to Crown prosecutors about where the video was, whether it was connected to the drug case, and why it couldn’t be provided, and stands accused of misleading the Crown — one reason charges in the case were stayed, documents say.
“Your responses to the Crown were evasive and misleading in regards to the seized security video,” the Toronto police allege in a notice of hearing that was written in 2020, but is headed for a hearing next week.
“You provided a will-say statement that was inconsistent with your initial representations. In so doing, you committed misconduct in that you did willfully or negligently make a false, misleading or inaccurate statement pertaining to official duties,” the notice reads.
Adams’ lawyer, Peter Brauti, told CTV News Toronto that he plans to explain that the entire thing was a misunderstanding — and that Detective Adams had simply lost track of the video because officers at 14 Division do not have enough USB sticks to store the various ones they obtain and it was overwritten.
“This was a miscommunication and misunderstanding between the parties. It’s now going to be resolved internally,” he said, adding that eventually a copy of the video was found.
The hearing would be adjourned for now, he said, while Adams and the TPS come to a settlement, though officials witih Toronto police did not confirm that Tuesday.
Detective Adams was supervising the execution of a drug warrant at a tower complex on West Lodge Avenue in 2020. At the time, police found enough fentanyl to lay three charges against a 50-year-old man.
The suspect's lawyer, Jeff Hershberg, wanted to see surveillance video of the bust. He told CTV News Toronto he contacted building management, who told him they had supplied the police with the video. So he tried to get it from the Crown.
“I had suspicions about what had happened,” he said. “Soon after that, (the) Crown contacts me and advises they’re going to stay charges against my client.”
Behind the scenes, Crown lawyers had been trying to get that video from Adams. According to the notice of hearing, Adams first denied the video existed and “had no idea what security was talking about.”
He then said there was a video, but it was for a separate investigation, and then told the Crown the video had been erased.
It’s not clear what is on the video, or whether the hearing where it could be played for the public to see will happen next week.
Lawyer Peter Biro, who was among several involved in a separate serious corruption case against several officers with the Central Field Command drug squad years ago, said the Toronto police should not write this off easily.
“They should want to get to the bottom of it. That’s what they should want to do,” said Biro, who is now a advocate for democracy and civil liberties with Section1.ca. He said he had great reservations about whether the TPS could investigate itself in files like this.
“Something like this could be quite innocent and minor and have no consequence or it could be quite significant. We don’t know at this point,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.