November 14, 2018 - 1:10 PM
VICTORIA - A British Columbia police officer will not be charged over an allegation he stole cash during a drug raid in Abbotsford last year, even though the provincial prosecution service says the officer's actions are "concerning."
The BC Prosecution Service says in a statement there are gaps in the evidence and it can't find sufficient proof to support an allegation raised after the unnamed officer and the Abbotsford drug enforcement team seized cash, weapons and drugs from a suspect's home in November 2017.
A total of eight charges were laid against suspect Brian MacDonald but during his April 2018 trial, his defence produced hidden camera video recorded during the search, suggesting that the officer had placed some of the money in his sock.
The service says the officer reported he had taken the cash as a joke and then replaced it, although the service notes some of the bills evident in the video were never listed as evidence, raising concerns that they were not properly accounted for.
The service says several factors, including the presence of other possible suspects and an inability to acquire all the video from the scene, mean the evidence can't support a prosecution.
MacDonald applied to have his charges stayed but the judge rejected the application, and court documents show MacDonald was acquitted in September of all but a single count of possession of a controlled substance.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2018