Pubdate: Thu, 03 May 2012
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/wEtbT4yU
Website: http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Author: Megan O'Toole
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.)

EX-DRUG SQUAD LEADER AT CENTRE OF CORRUPTION TRIAL DENIES BREAKING LAW

Drug Dealers Said They Were Beaten, Robbed by Police

A former Toronto police drug squad leader on trial for corruption 
contradicted the Crown's key witnesses in Ontario Superior Court on 
Wednesday, denying any involvement in beating, raping or robbing drug 
dealers during the late 1990s.

John Schertzer spent all of Wednesday on the stand under questioning 
by his lawyer, John Rosen, who concluded his examination by asking 
whether the drug squad had done "anything illegal" with respect to a 
handful of investigations about 15 years ago.

"No sir," Mr. Schertzer replied evenly.

Along with four of his former colleagues from Team Three of the 
central field command drug squad - Steven Correia, Nebojsa Maodus, 
Joseph Miched and Raymond Pollard - Mr. Schertzer stands accused of a 
wide-ranging conspiracy that involved beating and robbing drug 
dealers in the late 1990s.

One of the most controversial cases involved Christopher Quigley, a 
low-level marijuana dealer when police arrested him in the spring of 
1998. Mr. Quigley said the drug squad brutally beat him inside an 
interrogation room at 53 Division while demanding to know where he 
had stashed his drugs and money. Mr. Schertzer slapped and threatened 
him, Mr. Quigley said, while two other officers punched and kicked 
him to the point where "I was choking on my own blood."

Mr. Schertzer, who said he was not even in the room when Mr. Quigley 
scuffled with police, painted a very different picture of events.

"I heard a lot of commotion in the general office," Mr. Schertzer 
testified, noting he was in his own office across the hall at the 
time. "I could detect that it was coming from the interview room."

When he approached the room, Mr. Schertzer said he saw Mr. Quigley on 
the floor, restrained by another officer.

"I said, 'What happened?'" Mr. Schertzer testified. "[The officer 
said] he went berserk and struck me."

Mr. Schertzer's testimony supports the defence position that Mr. 
Quigley attacked police after learning officers had executed a search 
warrant at his mother's house, a theory Mr. Quigley - who also 
accused police of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his 
mother's safety deposit box - vehemently denied.

Mr. Schertzer said police duly reported the full amount seized from 
the safety deposit box, which was just under $23,000.

"Did you and/or Mr. Correia take any money [out of the box] and stick 
it in your pocket?" Mr. Rosen asked.

"No sir," Mr. Schertzer responded.

The exchange was a familiar one throughout Wednesday as Mr. Schertzer 
rejected testimony from each of the Crown's key witnesses.

Cocaine dealer Aida Fagundo said police sexually assaulted her while 
she was in custody and stole $10,000 in cash and an expensive pair of 
diamond earrings.

"Would you have permitted that to happen?" Mr. Rosen asked.

"No sir," Mr. Schertzer said, denying the $10,000 was in Ms. 
Fagundo's purse as she claimed. "It would have been seized and 
entered as drug money."

Heroin dealer Kai Sum Yeung said police stole his wallet containing 
$2,000 when they busted him.

"He did not have a wallet, sir... Most drug dealers do not have 
identification on them," Mr. Schertzer testified, maintaining police 
seized only $350 from Mr. Yeung, all of which was duly recorded.

Mr. Schertzer's cross-examination is expected to begin Thursday.
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