Pot-eating ex-Toronto cop sentenced to house arrest
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A Toronto Police officer who ate a pot-laced chocolate bar he stole from an illegal dispensary during a raid will spend six months under house arrest as part of a nine-month conditional sentence.
Vittorio Dominelli, 36, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice this month, will serve the remaining three months of his sentence under supervision and must also also serve 60 hours of community service.
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Dominelli’s crime “strikes at the very soul of the justice system and police officers (who commit this crime) must expect severe punishment,” said Justice Mary Misener, who added “the conduct here was wreckless, immature and impulsive.
Dominelli, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to attempting to obstruct justice, resigned from the force three weeks ago. He was part of a team that raided a west-end pot shop on Jan. 27 and scooped several cannabis-oil-infused chocolate bars.
Court heard that Dominelli and another officer ignored the package’s warning and consumed a whole chocolate bar hours later. He and his partner were conducting surveillance outside an after-hours bar when they became extremely high.
The 13-year veteran thought he was going to die, panicked and made an officer-needs-assistance call on his police radio, said Misener.
When other officers hurried to the scene, one of them slipped on ice and suffered a severe head injury, court heard. That officer still has “significant difficulties with speech and vision,” and has not been able to return to work.
“(Dominelli) not only stole evidence, he got himself into a state of intoxication which endangered the public,” said Misener.
“He committed multiple breaches of trust, the trust of his position,” added the judge. “He was inside the dispensary (due to a search warrant). He put himself ‘wandering outside in a haze,’ a state he put himself in while armed with a loaded handgun,” said Misener.
His irresponsible conduct “lends credence to allegations of evidence tampering. . undermining the justice system,” said Misener.
Dominelli’s lawyer Peter Brauti argued that his client should be discharged and spared a criminal record because he surrendered his promising career, pleaded guilty at an early stage and was humiliated by the international attention the case attracted.
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A record would hinder his chances of obtaining new employment, added Brauti.
Misener disagreed, saying it would be contrary to the public interest to give Dominelli a discharge.
Seven people were charged in the pot-shop raids, but all those charges were dropped due to Dominelli’s actions, noted Misener.
This incident was “out of character” for the 13-year police veteran who was known for compassion and reliability. He had never used pot before.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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