OPP officer accused of tow truck corruption acquitted

One of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers accused of taking a bribe in exchange for sending business to a Toronto-area towing company has been acquitted.

Following a four-day trial in November, Hon. Justice Loww acquitted Const. Simon Bridle for allegations of breach of trust in relation to tow truck corruption.

Bridle was alleged to have favoured one specific tow operator to remove vehicles from drivers charged with stunt driving and to have received the benefit of a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado from Steve Pillay, the tow company owner, who was paying the lease payments.

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The OPP officer maintained his innocence throughout the trial, testifying he was a top achiever who “loved his job” with the 407 Detachment, and worked cooperatively with less than six tow companies servicing the 407.

“It’s church and state. Just because I and other officers purchase vehicles doesn’t change how we work professionally on the highway. I don’t feel any debt to him. If you think I would risk my employment, my pension, my benefits and my reputation for a good deal on a third-hand truck, then you’re mistaken,” Bridle said.

The Crown argued the arrangement to pay Pillay back for the truck was a lie Bridle told OPP investigators on the spot, arguing there’s no record of any deal.

Bridle’s lawyer, Danielle Cunningham, said in a release issued Saturday that the OPP spent “countless hours and provincial resources” interviewing more than a dozen officers and witnesses, but despite that the Crown Attorney chose to call only one witness: a representative of the Somerville Auto Group.

“The Court took note of the fact, during closing submissions on Nov. 17, 2023, that the Ministry of the Attorney General subpoenaed Steve Pillay, of Steve’s/CCC Towing – known for the ‘Heavy Rescue 401’ Television series – as a Crown witness for trial, but chose not to call him to give evidence, neither as part of the Crown’s case nor in rebuttal,” Cunningham wrote.

“Curiously, the Crown equally chose not to call one single OPP officer witness at the trial. The only OPP officer witness scheduled to give evidence, refused to attend Court.”

While the Crown argued Bridle displayed favouritism, Cunningham says the court heard there was no evidence Bridle rejected the first available tow operator or manipulated the assignment of tows and partiality of tows.

Hon. Justice Loww ruled the Crown’s suspicions were not supported by facts of this case and that they did not show that Bridle breached the “standard execution of the duty expected of him” as an officer nor did he breach the public’s trust.

Loww also ruled there was “no nexus” between the leased truck and police business.

Three veteran OPP officers were charged with taking secret commissions and breach of trust, though there were several more suspended in 2021 following a sweeping anti-corruption probe into whether officers were getting favourable treatment for sending valuable towing business to certain companies. On Nov. 14, however, Bridle’s charges in relation to taking secret commissions were withdrawn.

Bridle was never suspended from duty due to the investigation, though he has been on medical leave since Sepember 2020. Cunningham says Bridle is now considering his legal options.

With files from Jon Woodward