Pubdate: Tue, 15 May 2012
Source: Toronto Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Toronto Star
Contact:  http://www.thestar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456
Author: Peter Small

POLICE CORRUPTION TRIAL: MICHED SAYS HE DID NOT LIE ABOUT SEARCH
WARRANT

A former Toronto drug squad officer is disputing allegations he
applied for a warrant to conceal an illegal search and later lied
about it in court.

Prosecutor Susan Reid suggested Tuesday that in February 1998 drug
squad officers "jumped the warrant" in the search of a Scarborough
apartment where heroin dealer Ho Bing Pang lived.

She accused former Det.-Const. Joseph Miched, 53, of applying for the
warrant after the fact "to cover their tracks."

"I didn't need to cover anyone's tracks," Miched said.

Reid suggested Miched knew the team had discovered, in the apartment,
the key to a bank safety deposit box they planned to later search, and
they needed a warrant to the apartment to legitimize their finding of
the key.

Miched said he didn't even know about the key.

Reid suggested he lied at Pang's July 1999 preliminary
hearing.

"You testified falsely =C2=85 you went into the Pang apartment with the
warrant at the time the search warrant was executed," Reid said.

"I did not," Miched said.

"You knew when you testified that the search had taken place hours
before, without a warrant," she said.

Miched said, on the contrary, he obtained a warrant and drove at high
speed the 12 km along Eglinton Ave. from a police station near Yonge
St. to Pang's apartment near Midland Ave., served it and hurried back,
all within of 22 minutes.

Reid suggested to do so he would have had to cross at least 30 traffic
lights in an unmarked car without emergency lights or siren, and was
putting the public's safety at risk for a non-emergency.

Miched denied putting anyone's safety at risk, and maintained it was
urgent that he get the warrant there quickly.

She suggested he would have had to be driving at an average of 90 kms
per hour.

"I don't know how fast I was driving," he said.

Miched, his former boss, John Schertzer, 54, and former fellow
officers Raymond Pollard, 48, Ned Maodus, 49, and Steven Correia, 45,
are on trial for conspiracy to attempt to obstruct justice, theft,
assault and extortion.

The Ontario Superior Court continues Wednesday.
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MAP posted-by: Matt