Suspect in assault was carrying $25,000, lawsuit says
A man arrested after an altercation at the Nanaimo ferry terminal in July was carrying a bag containing almost $25,000, a lawsuit filed by the Director of Civil Forfeiture says.
The suit, filed this week in B.C. Supreme Court, alleges that Erik Norman Dahl was involved in a drunken assault in the parking lot adjacent to the terminal.
And the director claims that the money located in a bag that Dahl tossed under a vehicle as police approached consisted of the “proceeds of crime.”
“On July 6, 2019, the RCMP responded to a report of an intoxicated male who had assaulted a security guard as well as another patron and was refusing to leave the B.C. Ferries terminal (at) Nanaimo,” the statement of claim says.
The suspect was reported to be wearing a dark hoodie, shorts and sandals. As police spotted a man matching the description, he ran toward a Toyota Tacoma in the parking lot.
“The RCMP arrested the suspect for assault and identified him as Mr. Dahl. The RCMP detected a strong odour of alcohol emanating from Mr. Dahl’s breath,” the claim says. “The RCMP learned that Mr. Dahl had thrown a bag under the right rear tire of the vehicle just before he was arrested.”
Police asked people inside the Tacoma about the cash, but they denied knowing about it and said they were at there to pick up Dahl.
Police seized the cash: $24,580. The government agency said it should be forfeited because “the money is proceeds and an instrument of unlawful activity.”
The director alleged the criminal activity consists of assault, possessing the proceeds of crime and failure to declare taxable income.
No statement of defence has yet been filed.
Dahl, 38, is also facing an assault charge in connection with the ferry terminal incident. He is due back in Nanaimo Provincial Court on Oct. 29.
While the suit claims that “Mr. Dahl obtained the money by participating in unlawful activity,” Dahl has only a minor criminal record in B.C., according to the online court database. He was convicted of mischief last year and sentenced to 12 months of probation and has convictions for driving without a licence.