Peel Region Officer jailed five-plus years - Sheldon Cook
10-17-2010 | 10:15 AM
#1
Peel Region Officer jailed five-plus years - Sheldon Cook
A disgraced Peel Regional Police officer who stole what he thought was cocaine from a botched Royal Canadian Mounted Police drug sting was sent to prison today and will soon be fired.
This afternoon in Brampton court, Cst. Sheldon Cook, 43, received a jail term of five years and eight months from Justice Casey Hill. He'll serve his sentence in a federal penitentiary near Kingston.
Cook, who was taken to hospital yesterday morning with chest pains, bowed his head as he was taken into custody in front of his weeping wife Rhonda and other family members in the courtroom.
"Over and above the stain upon the administration of justice arising from criminality by a police officer breaching the trust imposed upon him or her, such conduct inevitably, but unfairly, results in diminishment of the reputation of his or her police force and fellow police officers," Hill said in his ruling. "Sheldon Cook is a mature offender ... there is no evidence that, in breaching the public trust, he operated under the influence of any superior officer."
If Cook, a 19-year veteran of the force, doesn't resign, he will most likely be dismissed officially from the force following a Police Services Act hearing. He had been suspended with pay since his arrest nearly five years ago.
Prosecutors David Rowcliffe and Anya Weiler asked the judge to impose a 12-year penitentiary term on Cook, who was found guilty in June of unlawful attempt to possess an illegal substance for the purpose of trafficking, three counts of breach of trust, theft and unlawful possession of stolen property, and possession of marijuana. Cook's lawyers asked for a sentence of two years.
"As a police officer, the offender knew that possession of about a pound of marijuana was more than a trifling breach of the Canada Drugs and Substances Act and completely antithetical to the oath of his office as a sworn peace officer," Hill said.
Cook insisted he was following orders when he took the fake cocaine to his Cambridge home. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The officer told the court his superiors knew he took home 15 bricks of flour after his shift ended in the early hours of Nov. 17, 2005. He said Acting Det. Warren Williams told him to keep the bricks at his home and ranking Det. Marty Rykhoff was aware he was doing so.
Rykhoff has denied putting the packages in Cook's cruiser or having any knowledge that Cook took them home. He denied telling Cook to take them to his home when he testified as a Crown witness last year.
Williams also denied ever seeing the bricks of fake cocaine in Cook's cruiser.
Cook was among several officers, including Williams and Rykhoff, who had unloaded boxes of rotting mangoes concealing suspected cocaine bricks from a courier truck in Mississauga the night before.
Cook has denied stealing the product, which he says he knew was fake.
The so-called cocaine turned out to be white flour, being shipped from Peru to Canada as part of an RCMP-controlled drug sting. The fake drugs went missing after arriving at Pearson International Airport.
RCMP investigators followed a GPS signal emanating from the bricks of flour to find them in a Sea-Doo in the garage at Cook's home.
Meanwhile, a search of Cook's home uncovered marijuana and several MP3 players that were connected to an unrelated police investigation.
Cook testified the marijuana wasn't his.
Meanwhile, Hill has revoked an application by federal lawyers to seize Cook's financial interest in his Cambridge home they said was used as a "stash house" for drugs.
The judge said Cook's wife, two daughters and in-laws still live in the home and issuing a forfeiture order would be unfair and overreaching.
As a result of Cook's arrest, the federal justice department decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases where Cook was the arresting officer. A month after he was charged, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut player Orlando Bowen of drug charges and assaulting police. The charges were laid by Cook and another officer. Bowen alleged at his trial that Cook planted cocaine on him during his arrest.
A $14 million lawsuit filed by Bowen against the Peel force and several officers, including Cook, is still pending.
This afternoon in Brampton court, Cst. Sheldon Cook, 43, received a jail term of five years and eight months from Justice Casey Hill. He'll serve his sentence in a federal penitentiary near Kingston.
Cook, who was taken to hospital yesterday morning with chest pains, bowed his head as he was taken into custody in front of his weeping wife Rhonda and other family members in the courtroom.
"Over and above the stain upon the administration of justice arising from criminality by a police officer breaching the trust imposed upon him or her, such conduct inevitably, but unfairly, results in diminishment of the reputation of his or her police force and fellow police officers," Hill said in his ruling. "Sheldon Cook is a mature offender ... there is no evidence that, in breaching the public trust, he operated under the influence of any superior officer."
If Cook, a 19-year veteran of the force, doesn't resign, he will most likely be dismissed officially from the force following a Police Services Act hearing. He had been suspended with pay since his arrest nearly five years ago.
Prosecutors David Rowcliffe and Anya Weiler asked the judge to impose a 12-year penitentiary term on Cook, who was found guilty in June of unlawful attempt to possess an illegal substance for the purpose of trafficking, three counts of breach of trust, theft and unlawful possession of stolen property, and possession of marijuana. Cook's lawyers asked for a sentence of two years.
"As a police officer, the offender knew that possession of about a pound of marijuana was more than a trifling breach of the Canada Drugs and Substances Act and completely antithetical to the oath of his office as a sworn peace officer," Hill said.
Cook insisted he was following orders when he took the fake cocaine to his Cambridge home. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The officer told the court his superiors knew he took home 15 bricks of flour after his shift ended in the early hours of Nov. 17, 2005. He said Acting Det. Warren Williams told him to keep the bricks at his home and ranking Det. Marty Rykhoff was aware he was doing so.
Rykhoff has denied putting the packages in Cook's cruiser or having any knowledge that Cook took them home. He denied telling Cook to take them to his home when he testified as a Crown witness last year.
Williams also denied ever seeing the bricks of fake cocaine in Cook's cruiser.
Cook was among several officers, including Williams and Rykhoff, who had unloaded boxes of rotting mangoes concealing suspected cocaine bricks from a courier truck in Mississauga the night before.
Cook has denied stealing the product, which he says he knew was fake.
The so-called cocaine turned out to be white flour, being shipped from Peru to Canada as part of an RCMP-controlled drug sting. The fake drugs went missing after arriving at Pearson International Airport.
RCMP investigators followed a GPS signal emanating from the bricks of flour to find them in a Sea-Doo in the garage at Cook's home.
Meanwhile, a search of Cook's home uncovered marijuana and several MP3 players that were connected to an unrelated police investigation.
Cook testified the marijuana wasn't his.
Meanwhile, Hill has revoked an application by federal lawyers to seize Cook's financial interest in his Cambridge home they said was used as a "stash house" for drugs.
The judge said Cook's wife, two daughters and in-laws still live in the home and issuing a forfeiture order would be unfair and overreaching.
As a result of Cook's arrest, the federal justice department decided not to prosecute at least six drug cases where Cook was the arresting officer. A month after he was charged, a Peel judge acquitted former Toronto Argonaut player Orlando Bowen of drug charges and assaulting police. The charges were laid by Cook and another officer. Bowen alleged at his trial that Cook planted cocaine on him during his arrest.
A $14 million lawsuit filed by Bowen against the Peel force and several officers, including Cook, is still pending.
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