Pubdate: Thu, 26 Oct 2006
Source: St. Thomas Times-Journal (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 St. Thomas Times-Journal
Contact:  http://www.stthomastimesjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/953
Author: Kyle Rea, Times-Journal Staff

COP GUILTY

A former 17-year veteran of the St. Thomas Police Service received a 
conditional discharge Wednesday after pleading guilty to drug and 
firearms charges.

Bruce Armstrong, 43, of Malahide township appeared in the Ontario 
Court of Justice in St. Thomas where he pleaded guilty to possession 
of cocaine, improper storage of a firearm and vandalizing a doorbell 
- -- all stemming from incidents in 2005.

Armstrong, formerly a police constable, tendered his resignation to 
Chief Bill Lynch Wednesday morning.

A 12-month probation period is attached to the discharge, with 
conditions such as staying away from his estranged wife, a ban on 
possessing drugs, alcohol or firearms and a 10-year prohibition on 
owning firearms.

Armstrong was originally charged with 15 offences -- all but three 
were dropped by the Crown.

Instead of a trial or jail time, David Foulds, regional Crown 
counsel, and Armstrong's lawyer, Patrick Ducharme, agreed on a 
conditional discharge and a joint statement of facts, accepted by 
Justice of the Peace John Menzies.

According to that statement, provided to the Times-Journal, OPP 
officers began an investigation in August, 2005, after being 
contacted by Armstrong's estranged wife. According to the statement, 
between April and May, 2005, Armstrong had destroyed the front 
doorbell of his wife's home during an argument regarding access to 
his children.

On Aug. 11, 2005, OPP officers arrested Armstrong and during the 
arrest, he was seen throwing an object into the grass. That item 
turned out to be a crack pipe. Analysis showed it contained trace 
amounts of crack cocaine. While in custody, Armstrong told police he 
had a loaded shotgun stored in a locked vault in the bedroom of his 
Calton Line home. He was released from custody on Aug. 15 with 
conditions prohibiting him from possessing or taking drugs.

On Sept. 2, 2005, Armstrong was approached by two St. Thomas police 
officers after he was seen entering the home of a man suspected of 
illicit drug trafficking in the area of Hammond and Balaclava 
streets. After admitting he had been at the home, Armstrong was 
placed under arrest for breaching his release order. While being 
escorted back to the police cruiser, Armstrong put up a struggle and 
had to be wrestled to the ground. Other officers were called in to 
help. A crack pipe, found in Armstrong's hand, had to be pried free 
by officers and about 0.6 grams of cocaine, worth about $120, were 
found in his sock. He was held in custody for a week before being 
released Sept. 9. on a $20,000 bail bond.

Ducharme explained his client has worked to reform since that time.

"Mr. Armstrong has received some extensive treatment for drugs and 
alcohol. He's now drug- and alcohol-free," said Ducharme. "He's 
turned the corner. He has job opportunities and is very anxious to 
put this behind him."

Foulds said Armstrong's willingness to reform and his voluntary 
resignation were factors in agreeing to the conditional discharge.

Armstrong and Ducharme declined to comment after Wednesday's proceedings.

Lynch said he was happy with the decision.

"We felt that Armstrong should not continue as a police officer and 
obviously with the results, that was resolved," he said. "And we felt 
it was important that justice needed to be served.

"In the joint submission, Armstrong took responsibility for his 
actions. I think based on the fact that he's sought treatment for his 
dependencies, I think it allows him to starts fresh and it allows the 
community and our service to move on."

An internal police investigation, ongoing at the time of Armstrong's 
arrest, has been dropped, Lynch explained, since Armstrong is no 
longer a police officer.
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