One officer jailed for fraud, three suspended for assault
A Peel police officer was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for insurance fraud, while three other police officers on the force received suspended sentences with 12 months probation after being found guilty of assault.
On Monday, Peel Const. Carlton Watson was sentenced to five years incarceration after being convicted on 42 of 45 counts of fraud, obstructing justice and breach of trust, following his involvement with fraudulent vehicle-accident claims in 2010.
As a result of the sentence, Watson has now been suspended without pay. A statement by the force Monday said Peel police Chief Jennifer Evans is seeking to have Watson fired. He had been receiving his full salary since he was suspended on Jan. 28, 2011.
He continued to receive that salary even after he was found guilty on 42 of the counts in February.
“I want to assure the community that I take allegations of misconduct very seriously and hold officers accountable for their actions,” Evans said in the statement. “As a result of this conviction and custodial sentence, I will be seeking his dismissal from the police service.”
As of Sept. 2, Peel police said they had paid $1.15 million to eight officers after they were suspended.
Also on Monday, Sgt. Bernard Webber and Constables Darren Barden and Lance Kerec were sentenced to 12 months probation after being found guilty of assaulting a 62-year-old man.
That occurred at a Brampton banquet hall while they were off duty in 2012. According to the 2014 Ontario public salary disclosure, known as the sunshine list, Webber was paid $115,786 while he faced assault charges last year.
Peel spokesperson Staff Sgt. Dan Richardson said the force has little choice when paying out salary to suspended officers. “The Police Services Act of Ontario does not allow a chief to suspend an officer without pay until such time as a period of incarceration is ordered upon a finding of guilt in a criminal proceeding,” Richardson stated.
He added that under the Police Services Act, Webber, Kerec and Barden each face one count of discreditable conduct and Kerec also faces a charge of insubordination. “They could face a loss of time, demotion up to and including dismissal,” Richardson said.
Watson, meanwhile, received his five-year sentence from Ontario Superior Court Justice John Sproat, who noted that Watson’s wife needed medical care and was dependent on her husband, who had no savings, even though Watson won an OLG jackpot of $275,000 in 2012, while he was under investigation, and was given about $500,000 in pay during his suspension.
“Members of the public are often unaware that a chief of police cannot currently suspend an officer without pay,” Richardson said.
“This misconception could lead to the false impression that police leaders are ‘protecting their own’ when, in fact, their hands are tied by inadequate legislation.”
At least one other Peel police offi- cer, veteran Det. Craig Wattier, is also under suspension, after he was arrested and charged in August with accessing child pornography, breach of trust and fraud. None of the allegations have been proven in court. With files from Torstar news service