The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Professional Standards Unit (PSU) has charged an officer in connection with property taken from a detachment evidence vault.
An investigation by the Professional Standards Unit, part of the OPP’s Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion and Leadership, began in 2021 after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury Detachment.
On April 26, 2022, Sergeant Straun FREDERIKSEN of the Sudbury Detachment was charged under the Criminal Code with:
Theft – section 322
Breach of trust – section 122
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on May 25, 2022.
The officer has been a member of the OPP for 27 years. He has been suspended with pay, under the terms of the Police Services Act, since March of this year.
https://saultonline.com/2022/04/sudbury ... r-charged/
Sudbury OPP Officer Charged
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• Page 1 of 1
Sudbury OPP officer charged with theft
by Thomas » Thu May 05, 2022 1:08 pm
A veteran Sudbury OPP officer has been charged in connection with property taken from a detachment evidence vault.
The OPP said the charges came through an investigation by its Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021 “after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury detachment.”
On Tuesday, Sgt. Straun Frederiksen of the Sudbury detachment was criminally charged with both theft and breach of trust.
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on May 25.
Frederiksen has been a member of the OPP for 27 years.
The OPP said he has been suspended with pay, under the terms of the Police Services Act, since March of this year.
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... with-theft
The OPP said the charges came through an investigation by its Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021 “after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury detachment.”
On Tuesday, Sgt. Straun Frederiksen of the Sudbury detachment was criminally charged with both theft and breach of trust.
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on May 25.
Frederiksen has been a member of the OPP for 27 years.
The OPP said he has been suspended with pay, under the terms of the Police Services Act, since March of this year.
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... with-theft
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Sudbury OPP sergeant accused of stealing from evidence locke
by Thomas » Thu May 05, 2022 1:08 pm
A 27-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police has been suspended with pay in Sudbury after being accused of stealing from the evidence vault.
"An investigation by the Professional Standards Unit, part of the OPP's Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion and Leadership, began in 2021 after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury detachment," police said in a news release Thursday.
As a result, OPP Sgt. Straun Frederiksen was charged with theft and breach of trust on Tuesday, after being suspended in March.
Bill Dickson, an OPP spokesperson, told CTV News in an email "the nature of items missing from the vault will be part of the evidence presented when the matters are before the courts, and cannot be released."
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/sudb ... -1.5879830
"An investigation by the Professional Standards Unit, part of the OPP's Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion and Leadership, began in 2021 after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury detachment," police said in a news release Thursday.
As a result, OPP Sgt. Straun Frederiksen was charged with theft and breach of trust on Tuesday, after being suspended in March.
Bill Dickson, an OPP spokesperson, told CTV News in an email "the nature of items missing from the vault will be part of the evidence presented when the matters are before the courts, and cannot be released."
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/sudb ... -1.5879830
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Veteran OPP officer says he was 'lost ... far from Jesus' at
by Thomas » Wed Jul 31, 2024 2:32 am
Veteran OPP officer says he was 'lost ... far from Jesus' at time of thefts
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen lifted two items from evidence locker at the OPP station in Sudbury
An Ontario Provincial Police sergeant who stole two items from his detachment’s evidence locker will learn in early September if he will have a criminal record.
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen also lied to his co-workers about the disappearance of the items but later admitted to his superiors he took them, a Sudbury court was told Tuesday.
“During the COVID period 2020-2021, I was lost,” Frederiksen said, reading from a letter near the end of his sentencing hearing at the Sudbury Courthouse. “I was far from my police team. I was far from Jesus. I felt alone and with no one to talk to.
“I was a hard worker told to look after his team, but could not look after himself. I felt overloaded and overwhelmed. I was given so many items to return, I didn’t know where to start.”
Frederiksen, who had been facing two charges – theft under $5,000 and breach of trust – had pleaded guilty earlier to the latter charge. A 27-year member of the OPP, Fredericksen has been suspended with pay since he was charged in April 2022.
The charges followed an investigation by the OPP’s Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021.
The two charges concerned the theft of a beaded strap and scope seized from a First Nation man when the OPP executed a search warrant.
The court heard through an agreed statement of facts that when the two items were ordered to be returned, they were missing from the evidence locker or property vault at the Sudbury OPP detachment.
Frederiksen, who was in charge of the property vault, told co-workers he knew nothing about the two items. He even indicated that in a letter to the Sudbury Crown attorney’s office.
Frederiksen, however, later told a supervisor he had taken the two items and had thrown them out. That admission led to an investigation and the charges.
Frederiksen said in his letter that after being charged, he began to address mental health issues he had been ignoring – specifically, post-traumatic stress order and depression – and has made great progress.
“This situation has brought me closer to my family and closer to Jesus,” he said. “I have changed as a man for the better. I have been volunteering, serving meals to the homeless, and it has been humbling …
“I am truly sorry for what I did … I was in such as fog when I threw them (the two items) out.”
In a letter of apology that he also read, Frederiksen apologized to the First Nation man whose items he had stolen. as well as “everyone in the policing community” with whom he had worked.
“Ignorance is no excuse: it was a lesson that was painful to learn,” he said, referring to not knowing the cultural significance of one of the items he had stolen and later tossed. “This should not reflect on the Ontario Provincial Police. I did this.”
Ontario Court Justice Graham Jenner has reserved his sentencing decision to Sept. 5.
The sentencing hearing featured 66 letters of support for Frederiksen and case law from both defence lawyer Glenn Sandberg and assistant Crown attorney David Kirk.
Sandberg is seeking a conditional discharge followed by a lengthy probation order of 18 to 24 months that includes community service, while Kirk asked for a suspended sentence and probation.
If Jenner issues a suspended sentence, Frederiksen will have a criminal record.
Frederiksen will also be dealing with Police Act charges following the conclusion of his case at the Sudbury Courthouse.
In his sentencing submission, Sandberg said Frederiksen has led a responsible and community-minded life that included 25 years of service to the province through an upstanding policing career. He said the theft of the two items from the property vault was “something completely out of character for Straun Frederiksen” and his client understands it was wrong.
“He is, if nothing, completely accepting and responsible for his actions,” said Sandberg, noting that the PTSD and depression Frederiksen was dealing with at the time are not excuses for what happened.
“He took the items during a state of confusion … There was no personal gain, no reward, for Mr. Frederiksen in the misappropriation of the items. Mr. Frederikson, to his credit, accepted responsibility for his actions from the beginning.”
It was the shooting death of a fellow officer in 2020, combined with the carnage Frederiksen had seen investigating serious motor vehicle collisions over the years, that seemed to bring his client’s mental health issues to the surface, Sandberg said.
He added that the community service aspect of Frederiksen’s probation order will be a constant reminder to his client “of the decisions he made that brought him here.”
Kirk, however, said a suspended sentence followed by probation, was the appropriate sentence and that it took into account Frederiksen’s personal circumstances.
Kirk said Frederiksen was a sergeant responsible for the property vault at his detachment and the security of exhibits/items stored inside.
“Police are entrusted to maintain and keep safe the very items they seize,” he said. “What we have here is Sgt. Frederiksen took the (two) items for himself … They were never recovered.
“There was time spent looking for the items and he remained silent, misled fellow officers, denied even seeing them … Thefts (of property vault items) can have devastating consequences to prosecutions and certain accused before the courts.”
Kirk said Frederiksen violated a sacred trust given to police officers by the public.
“Police officers are not to abuse that trust by violating laws they are obligated to enforce,” stressed the assistant Crown attorney.
Kirk said a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and a suspended sentence should be imposed.
“His prolonged silence at the time telling (co-workers) ‘I don’t know anything about this’ and the email to the Crown, are aggravating features,” said Kirk. “It’s not just the taking of the materials, but the obscurification to others.”
hcarmichael@postmedia.com
X: @HaroldCarmichae
https://www.saultstar.com/news/local-ne ... -of-thefts
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... -of-thefts
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen lifted two items from evidence locker at the OPP station in Sudbury
An Ontario Provincial Police sergeant who stole two items from his detachment’s evidence locker will learn in early September if he will have a criminal record.
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen also lied to his co-workers about the disappearance of the items but later admitted to his superiors he took them, a Sudbury court was told Tuesday.
“During the COVID period 2020-2021, I was lost,” Frederiksen said, reading from a letter near the end of his sentencing hearing at the Sudbury Courthouse. “I was far from my police team. I was far from Jesus. I felt alone and with no one to talk to.
“I was a hard worker told to look after his team, but could not look after himself. I felt overloaded and overwhelmed. I was given so many items to return, I didn’t know where to start.”
Frederiksen, who had been facing two charges – theft under $5,000 and breach of trust – had pleaded guilty earlier to the latter charge. A 27-year member of the OPP, Fredericksen has been suspended with pay since he was charged in April 2022.
The charges followed an investigation by the OPP’s Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021.
The two charges concerned the theft of a beaded strap and scope seized from a First Nation man when the OPP executed a search warrant.
The court heard through an agreed statement of facts that when the two items were ordered to be returned, they were missing from the evidence locker or property vault at the Sudbury OPP detachment.
Frederiksen, who was in charge of the property vault, told co-workers he knew nothing about the two items. He even indicated that in a letter to the Sudbury Crown attorney’s office.
Frederiksen, however, later told a supervisor he had taken the two items and had thrown them out. That admission led to an investigation and the charges.
Frederiksen said in his letter that after being charged, he began to address mental health issues he had been ignoring – specifically, post-traumatic stress order and depression – and has made great progress.
“This situation has brought me closer to my family and closer to Jesus,” he said. “I have changed as a man for the better. I have been volunteering, serving meals to the homeless, and it has been humbling …
“I am truly sorry for what I did … I was in such as fog when I threw them (the two items) out.”
In a letter of apology that he also read, Frederiksen apologized to the First Nation man whose items he had stolen. as well as “everyone in the policing community” with whom he had worked.
“Ignorance is no excuse: it was a lesson that was painful to learn,” he said, referring to not knowing the cultural significance of one of the items he had stolen and later tossed. “This should not reflect on the Ontario Provincial Police. I did this.”
Ontario Court Justice Graham Jenner has reserved his sentencing decision to Sept. 5.
The sentencing hearing featured 66 letters of support for Frederiksen and case law from both defence lawyer Glenn Sandberg and assistant Crown attorney David Kirk.
Sandberg is seeking a conditional discharge followed by a lengthy probation order of 18 to 24 months that includes community service, while Kirk asked for a suspended sentence and probation.
If Jenner issues a suspended sentence, Frederiksen will have a criminal record.
Frederiksen will also be dealing with Police Act charges following the conclusion of his case at the Sudbury Courthouse.
In his sentencing submission, Sandberg said Frederiksen has led a responsible and community-minded life that included 25 years of service to the province through an upstanding policing career. He said the theft of the two items from the property vault was “something completely out of character for Straun Frederiksen” and his client understands it was wrong.
“He is, if nothing, completely accepting and responsible for his actions,” said Sandberg, noting that the PTSD and depression Frederiksen was dealing with at the time are not excuses for what happened.
“He took the items during a state of confusion … There was no personal gain, no reward, for Mr. Frederiksen in the misappropriation of the items. Mr. Frederikson, to his credit, accepted responsibility for his actions from the beginning.”
It was the shooting death of a fellow officer in 2020, combined with the carnage Frederiksen had seen investigating serious motor vehicle collisions over the years, that seemed to bring his client’s mental health issues to the surface, Sandberg said.
He added that the community service aspect of Frederiksen’s probation order will be a constant reminder to his client “of the decisions he made that brought him here.”
Kirk, however, said a suspended sentence followed by probation, was the appropriate sentence and that it took into account Frederiksen’s personal circumstances.
Kirk said Frederiksen was a sergeant responsible for the property vault at his detachment and the security of exhibits/items stored inside.
“Police are entrusted to maintain and keep safe the very items they seize,” he said. “What we have here is Sgt. Frederiksen took the (two) items for himself … They were never recovered.
“There was time spent looking for the items and he remained silent, misled fellow officers, denied even seeing them … Thefts (of property vault items) can have devastating consequences to prosecutions and certain accused before the courts.”
Kirk said Frederiksen violated a sacred trust given to police officers by the public.
“Police officers are not to abuse that trust by violating laws they are obligated to enforce,” stressed the assistant Crown attorney.
Kirk said a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and a suspended sentence should be imposed.
“His prolonged silence at the time telling (co-workers) ‘I don’t know anything about this’ and the email to the Crown, are aggravating features,” said Kirk. “It’s not just the taking of the materials, but the obscurification to others.”
hcarmichael@postmedia.com
X: @HaroldCarmichae
https://www.saultstar.com/news/local-ne ... -of-thefts
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... -of-thefts
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Sudbury OPP officer pleads guilty to stealing evidence durin
by Thomas » Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:41 pm
Sudbury OPP officer pleads guilty to stealing evidence during moose hunt investigation
A veteran staff sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police in Sudbury has been sentenced for stealing two items from a First Nations man and hiding what he did while his fellow officers searched for them.
Straun Frederiksen, 53, received 12 months of probation, a criminal conviction is now on his record and he must complete 75 hours of community service.
He also faces a disciplinary hearing with the OPP.
The case began in 2019 when OPP in Sudbury made an arrest connected to an illegal moose hunt. Following the charges, several firearms, scopes, straps and accessories were seized.
The items were placed in the OPP property vault, for which Frederiksen was responsible. As part of a plea deal in November 2020, one firearm was to be returned to the First Nations man "to allow him to carry out his cultural traditions and hunt for sustenance purposes," the court decision said.
He requested a specific rifle and strap, which he said would be easy to recognize "as the strap attached to it had cultural beadwork on it and a scope."
The man "wanted the strap returned as it was a gift to him from his late wife and had sentimental and spiritual value to him," the decision said.
It emerged later that Frederiksen had stolen both the strap and the scope. But from the time the items were requested until February 2022, his colleagues searched for the items in vain, at one point concluding they had been destroyed and offering to replace them.
"Several months later, on Feb. 23, 2022, Mr. Frederiksen called OPP Insp. Maville and confessed he had taken the beaded strap and scope to his home and subsequently threw them in the garbage," the decision said.
"On March 11, 2022, the OPP Professional Standards Unit obtained an audio statement from Insp. Maville who confirmed the call and expressed concern that Mr. Frederiksen had been involved in the ordeal to attempt to locate the item, had knowledge of his colleagues’ extensive efforts and had not said anything earlier. Insp. Maville advised that Mr. Frederiksen was extremely apologetic and remorseful when he made the disclosure."
The court detailed that Frederiksen had a spotless record prior to his offence, came forward not because he had been caught, but because his conscience was bothering him, and was extremely apologetic.
He had been suffering from severe PTSD related to fatal car collisions he had investigated, the death of a colleague in the line of duty, as well as depression.
"He reports losing the friendship of many of his colleagues because of his actions. He feels shame and embarrassment," the court said.
"Despite this professional falling out, the offender has an enormous amount of community support. This is evident from the full courtroom at his sentencing hearing and from the 66 letters of support that were filed on his behalf, including from current and past colleagues, friends, family members, church members and neighbours. Those who know the offender well view his conduct in this matter to be completely out of character."
However, the judge declined to grant Frederiksen a conditional discharge, ruling that it would "be contrary to the public interest."
"A discharge would risk signalling to the public that this conduct is excused by the previous good character and professional service of the offender," the judge wrote.
"It would risk contributing to the fraught relationship between Indigenous persons and the criminal justice system, rather than promote reconciliation."
However, there was no need for jail time, the judge ruled, and that one-year probation along with conditions was an appropriate sentence in the case.
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/sudb ... -1.7028265
A veteran staff sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police in Sudbury has been sentenced for stealing two items from a First Nations man and hiding what he did while his fellow officers searched for them.
Straun Frederiksen, 53, received 12 months of probation, a criminal conviction is now on his record and he must complete 75 hours of community service.
He also faces a disciplinary hearing with the OPP.
The case began in 2019 when OPP in Sudbury made an arrest connected to an illegal moose hunt. Following the charges, several firearms, scopes, straps and accessories were seized.
The items were placed in the OPP property vault, for which Frederiksen was responsible. As part of a plea deal in November 2020, one firearm was to be returned to the First Nations man "to allow him to carry out his cultural traditions and hunt for sustenance purposes," the court decision said.
He requested a specific rifle and strap, which he said would be easy to recognize "as the strap attached to it had cultural beadwork on it and a scope."
The man "wanted the strap returned as it was a gift to him from his late wife and had sentimental and spiritual value to him," the decision said.
It emerged later that Frederiksen had stolen both the strap and the scope. But from the time the items were requested until February 2022, his colleagues searched for the items in vain, at one point concluding they had been destroyed and offering to replace them.
"Several months later, on Feb. 23, 2022, Mr. Frederiksen called OPP Insp. Maville and confessed he had taken the beaded strap and scope to his home and subsequently threw them in the garbage," the decision said.
"On March 11, 2022, the OPP Professional Standards Unit obtained an audio statement from Insp. Maville who confirmed the call and expressed concern that Mr. Frederiksen had been involved in the ordeal to attempt to locate the item, had knowledge of his colleagues’ extensive efforts and had not said anything earlier. Insp. Maville advised that Mr. Frederiksen was extremely apologetic and remorseful when he made the disclosure."
The court detailed that Frederiksen had a spotless record prior to his offence, came forward not because he had been caught, but because his conscience was bothering him, and was extremely apologetic.
He had been suffering from severe PTSD related to fatal car collisions he had investigated, the death of a colleague in the line of duty, as well as depression.
"He reports losing the friendship of many of his colleagues because of his actions. He feels shame and embarrassment," the court said.
"Despite this professional falling out, the offender has an enormous amount of community support. This is evident from the full courtroom at his sentencing hearing and from the 66 letters of support that were filed on his behalf, including from current and past colleagues, friends, family members, church members and neighbours. Those who know the offender well view his conduct in this matter to be completely out of character."
However, the judge declined to grant Frederiksen a conditional discharge, ruling that it would "be contrary to the public interest."
"A discharge would risk signalling to the public that this conduct is excused by the previous good character and professional service of the offender," the judge wrote.
"It would risk contributing to the fraught relationship between Indigenous persons and the criminal justice system, rather than promote reconciliation."
However, there was no need for jail time, the judge ruled, and that one-year probation along with conditions was an appropriate sentence in the case.
https://northernontario.ctvnews.ca/sudb ... -1.7028265
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Veteran OPP sergeant in Sudbury now has a criminal record
by Thomas » Sun Sep 08, 2024 1:42 pm
He receives a suspended sentence for stealing two items taken during a police raid
A veteran OPP officer won’t be going to jail for stealing two items from a First Nation man but he will have a criminal record, a Sudbury judge ruled on Thursday.
“I conclude that granting (Sgt. Straun) Frederiksen a conditional discharge for this offence would be contrary to the public interest,” Ontario Court Justice Graham Jenner said Thursday in his sentencing decision. “A conviction is required to serve the general deterrence function.”
If Justice Jenner had issued a conditional discharge, Frederiksen would not have a criminal record. However, he said that would risk sending a message to the public and less-experienced police officers that Frederiksen’s conduct could be excused due to his standing as a veteran police officer.
Jenner added the suspended sentence would also acknowledge the harm Frederiksen caused the First Nation man, the police service and the public.
Frederiksen, 53 and a 27-year member of the OPP, pleaded guilty earlier to breach of trust. On Thursday, the Crown dropped a theft charge.
Frederiksen has been suspended with pay since being charged in April 2022 following an investigation by the OPP’s Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021.
The officer stole a beaded leather strap for a firearm and a scope the OPP seized from a First Nation man during the execution of a search warrant.
The court heard through an agreed statement of facts that, at the time, Frederiksen was in charge of the property vault at the Sudbury OPP detachment. When the two items were to be returned following court proceedings, police could not find them.
After telling co-workers he knew nothing and saying so in a letter to the Sudbury Crown attorney’s office, Frederiksen eventually admitted to a superior officer he had taken the two items home, but threw them out.
Defence lawyer Glenn Sandberg had sought a conditional discharge and lengthy probation order that included community service. He provided the court with 66 letters of support for his client.
Assistant Crown attorney David Kirk pushed for a suspended sentence and probation.
The probation order includes a condition that Frederiksen complete 75 hours of community service.
Frederiksen must now deal with Police Act charges laid in the case.
In July, Frederiksen explained his actions in a letter he read to the court.
“During the COVID period 2020-21, I was lost,” he said. “I was far from my police team. I was far from Jesus. I felt alone and with no one to talk to.
“I was a hard worker told to look after his team, but could not look after himself. I felt overloaded and overwhelmed. I was given so many items to return, I didn’t know where to start.”
Frederiksen said that after being charged, he began to address mental health issues he had been ignoring – specifically, post-traumatic stress order and depression – and has made great progress.
“This situation has brought me closer to my family and closer to Jesus,” he said. “I have changed as a man for the better …
“I am truly sorry for what I did … I was in such as fog when I threw (the two items) out.”
Frederiksen also apologized in a letter to the victim, as well as “everyone in the policing community” he had worked with.
“Ignorance is no excuse: it was a lesson that was painful to learn,” he said, admitting he did not know the cultural significance of one of the items he had stolen and tossed. “This should not reflect on the Ontario Provincial Police. I did this.”
In his sentencing submission, Sandberg said Frederiksen has led a responsible and community-minded life that included a long and upstanding policing career. He said the theft was “something completely out of character for Straun Frederiksen …
“He is, if nothing, completely accepting and responsible for his actions,” said Sandberg, noting that the PTSD and depression Frederiksen was dealing with at the time are not excuses for what happened.
“He took the items during a state of confusion …There was no personal gain, no reward for Mr. Frederiksen.”
It was the shooting death of a fellow officer in 2020, combined with the carnage Frederiksen had witnessed at serious motor vehicle collisions over the years, that seemed to bring his client’s mental health issues to the surface, the lawyer said.
Kirk, in his sentencing address, said a suspended sentence followed by 15 to 18 months of probation was appropriate and it took into account Frederiksen’s circumstances.
Kirk said Frederiksen was responsible for the property vault at his detachment and the security of exhibits and items stored inside.
“Police are entrusted to maintain and keep safe the very items they seize,” he said. “What we have here is Sgt. Frederiksen took the items for himself … They were never recovered. There was time spent looking for the items and he remained silent, misled fellow officers, denied even seeing them …
“Thefts (of property vault items) can have devastating consequences to prosecutions and certain accused before the courts.”
Kirk said Frederikson violated a sacred trust the public gives to police officers.
“Police officers are not to abuse that trust by violating laws they are obligated to enforce,” he said.
Kirk said a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and a suspended sentence should be imposed.
“His prolonged silence at the time telling (co-workers) ‘I don’t know anything about this’ and the email to the Crown, are aggravating features,” said the assistant Crown attorney. “It’s not just the taking of the materials, but the obscurification to others.”
hcarmichael@postmedia.com
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... nal-record
A veteran OPP officer won’t be going to jail for stealing two items from a First Nation man but he will have a criminal record, a Sudbury judge ruled on Thursday.
“I conclude that granting (Sgt. Straun) Frederiksen a conditional discharge for this offence would be contrary to the public interest,” Ontario Court Justice Graham Jenner said Thursday in his sentencing decision. “A conviction is required to serve the general deterrence function.”
If Justice Jenner had issued a conditional discharge, Frederiksen would not have a criminal record. However, he said that would risk sending a message to the public and less-experienced police officers that Frederiksen’s conduct could be excused due to his standing as a veteran police officer.
Jenner added the suspended sentence would also acknowledge the harm Frederiksen caused the First Nation man, the police service and the public.
Frederiksen, 53 and a 27-year member of the OPP, pleaded guilty earlier to breach of trust. On Thursday, the Crown dropped a theft charge.
Frederiksen has been suspended with pay since being charged in April 2022 following an investigation by the OPP’s Professional Standards Unit that began in 2021.
The officer stole a beaded leather strap for a firearm and a scope the OPP seized from a First Nation man during the execution of a search warrant.
The court heard through an agreed statement of facts that, at the time, Frederiksen was in charge of the property vault at the Sudbury OPP detachment. When the two items were to be returned following court proceedings, police could not find them.
After telling co-workers he knew nothing and saying so in a letter to the Sudbury Crown attorney’s office, Frederiksen eventually admitted to a superior officer he had taken the two items home, but threw them out.
Defence lawyer Glenn Sandberg had sought a conditional discharge and lengthy probation order that included community service. He provided the court with 66 letters of support for his client.
Assistant Crown attorney David Kirk pushed for a suspended sentence and probation.
The probation order includes a condition that Frederiksen complete 75 hours of community service.
Frederiksen must now deal with Police Act charges laid in the case.
In July, Frederiksen explained his actions in a letter he read to the court.
“During the COVID period 2020-21, I was lost,” he said. “I was far from my police team. I was far from Jesus. I felt alone and with no one to talk to.
“I was a hard worker told to look after his team, but could not look after himself. I felt overloaded and overwhelmed. I was given so many items to return, I didn’t know where to start.”
Frederiksen said that after being charged, he began to address mental health issues he had been ignoring – specifically, post-traumatic stress order and depression – and has made great progress.
“This situation has brought me closer to my family and closer to Jesus,” he said. “I have changed as a man for the better …
“I am truly sorry for what I did … I was in such as fog when I threw (the two items) out.”
Frederiksen also apologized in a letter to the victim, as well as “everyone in the policing community” he had worked with.
“Ignorance is no excuse: it was a lesson that was painful to learn,” he said, admitting he did not know the cultural significance of one of the items he had stolen and tossed. “This should not reflect on the Ontario Provincial Police. I did this.”
In his sentencing submission, Sandberg said Frederiksen has led a responsible and community-minded life that included a long and upstanding policing career. He said the theft was “something completely out of character for Straun Frederiksen …
“He is, if nothing, completely accepting and responsible for his actions,” said Sandberg, noting that the PTSD and depression Frederiksen was dealing with at the time are not excuses for what happened.
“He took the items during a state of confusion …There was no personal gain, no reward for Mr. Frederiksen.”
It was the shooting death of a fellow officer in 2020, combined with the carnage Frederiksen had witnessed at serious motor vehicle collisions over the years, that seemed to bring his client’s mental health issues to the surface, the lawyer said.
Kirk, in his sentencing address, said a suspended sentence followed by 15 to 18 months of probation was appropriate and it took into account Frederiksen’s circumstances.
Kirk said Frederiksen was responsible for the property vault at his detachment and the security of exhibits and items stored inside.
“Police are entrusted to maintain and keep safe the very items they seize,” he said. “What we have here is Sgt. Frederiksen took the items for himself … They were never recovered. There was time spent looking for the items and he remained silent, misled fellow officers, denied even seeing them …
“Thefts (of property vault items) can have devastating consequences to prosecutions and certain accused before the courts.”
Kirk said Frederikson violated a sacred trust the public gives to police officers.
“Police officers are not to abuse that trust by violating laws they are obligated to enforce,” he said.
Kirk said a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and a suspended sentence should be imposed.
“His prolonged silence at the time telling (co-workers) ‘I don’t know anything about this’ and the email to the Crown, are aggravating features,” said the assistant Crown attorney. “It’s not just the taking of the materials, but the obscurification to others.”
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https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/loc ... nal-record
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OPP sergeant who stole seized items gets a year of probation
by Thomas » Thu Sep 26, 2024 1:41 pm
OPP sergeant who stole seized items gets a year of probation
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen pleads guilty to breach of trust after taking two items seized during an arrest, pretending to not know where they were until he confessed to taking both a beaded strap and a gun scope
A Sudbury OPP officer who admitted to stealing items seized during a police investigation now has a criminal record and has been sentenced to 12 months of probation after pleading guilty to breach of trust in court earlier this summer.
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen, 53, was charged April 26, 2022 under the criminal code with theft and breach of trust and pleaded guilty July 23 to breaching the public trust. The sentencing decision was released Sept. 4.
Frederiksen will also have to complete 75 hours of community service, avoid contact with the victim, known in the court documents as ‘M’, and have to pay a $100 victim surcharge, which is standard for summary convictions.
The conviction stems from actions between 2019 and 2022, states the sentencing decision, as written by Justice Graham Jenner.
While employed with the OPP and while responsible for the property vault, Frederiksen took two items seized during an investigation: a beaded firearm strap and a firearm scope which court documents reveal he brought to his residence.
For 11 months, states the decision, “Frederiksen misled his colleagues, as well as the Crown Attorney’s Office, before ultimately confessing that he had taken the items home and subsequently thrown them out.”
The man the items belonged to, referred to as ‘M’, negotiated his own plea which included the return of his .303 rifle, its scopes and straps, to allow him to carry out his cultural traditions, hunting for sustenance.
M said the strap attached to the gun was beaded, a gift from his late wife.
Following up on this request, the court documents state that several items belonging to M were stored in Frederiksen’s office, rather than the property vault.
The firearms were all located, but missing was the beaded strap and a scope.
Though several items were sent to M as he attempted to get back his property, the strap and scope were not found.
Following investigation by the OPP, it was believed that based on the wording of the forfeiture order created after M’s plea, it was possible the missing items had been destroyed.
“The Risk Management department deemed the OPP not culpable for the missing items,” states the decision, and in December 2021, this was conveyed to M’s counsel, and M was advised that the “police could purchase a new beaded strap should M wish.”
But then, said the sentencing, several months later on February 23, 2022, Frederiksen called OPP Insp. Maville and “confessed he had taken the beaded strap and scope to his home and subsequently threw them in the garbage.”
The court documents state Maville expressed concern that Frederiksen “had been involved in the ordeal to attempt to locate the item, had knowledge of his colleagues’ extensive efforts, and had not said anything earlier.”
Insp. Maville advised that Frederiksen was “extremely apologetic and remorseful when he made the disclosure.”
A 27-year veteran of the OPP, Frederiksen, through his attorney Glenn Sandberg, asked for a conditional discharge and a period of probation.
Emphasizing “his long record of public service and extensive community support, his mental health struggles in a high-stress work environment, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of another officer, and rehabilitative steps taken since his arrest, which the decision states includes volunteering, and working with his church.
He has also “completed an online Aboriginal Worldviews and Education Course and is continuing with follow-up courses.”
The Crown argues that a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and asks this court to suspend the passing of sentence and place Mr. Frederiksen on probation. The Crown acknowledges the various mitigating features of the case but submits they only justify reducing what would otherwise be a custodial sentence.
Though both Crown attorney David Kirk and the judge felt that “a conditional discharge would be in Mr. Frederiksen’s own best interests,” and that Frederiksen himself “needs no specific deterrence to prevent him from offending in the future,” Kirk submitted that granting the discharge “would be contrary to the public interest” and the judge agreed.
“A discharge would risk signaling to the public that this conduct is excused by the previous good character and professional service of the offender,” Jenner said in his decision. “It would risk contributing to the fraught relationship between Indigenous persons and the criminal justice system, rather than promote reconciliation.”
Given the trust placed in the offender as a supervisor, the breach of that duty, and the subsequent “sustained deception,” a conviction is required to serve that general deterrent function, the decision states.
“In my view, registering a conviction, and imposing a suspended sentence and period of probation are sufficient to denounce the conduct in clear terms, to promote a sense of responsibility in Mr. Frederiksen, and to acknowledge the harm done to M, the OPP, and the public generally,” said the decision.
https://www.sudbury.com/court/opp-serge ... on-9499395
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen pleads guilty to breach of trust after taking two items seized during an arrest, pretending to not know where they were until he confessed to taking both a beaded strap and a gun scope
A Sudbury OPP officer who admitted to stealing items seized during a police investigation now has a criminal record and has been sentenced to 12 months of probation after pleading guilty to breach of trust in court earlier this summer.
Sgt. Straun Frederiksen, 53, was charged April 26, 2022 under the criminal code with theft and breach of trust and pleaded guilty July 23 to breaching the public trust. The sentencing decision was released Sept. 4.
Frederiksen will also have to complete 75 hours of community service, avoid contact with the victim, known in the court documents as ‘M’, and have to pay a $100 victim surcharge, which is standard for summary convictions.
The conviction stems from actions between 2019 and 2022, states the sentencing decision, as written by Justice Graham Jenner.
While employed with the OPP and while responsible for the property vault, Frederiksen took two items seized during an investigation: a beaded firearm strap and a firearm scope which court documents reveal he brought to his residence.
For 11 months, states the decision, “Frederiksen misled his colleagues, as well as the Crown Attorney’s Office, before ultimately confessing that he had taken the items home and subsequently thrown them out.”
The man the items belonged to, referred to as ‘M’, negotiated his own plea which included the return of his .303 rifle, its scopes and straps, to allow him to carry out his cultural traditions, hunting for sustenance.
M said the strap attached to the gun was beaded, a gift from his late wife.
Following up on this request, the court documents state that several items belonging to M were stored in Frederiksen’s office, rather than the property vault.
The firearms were all located, but missing was the beaded strap and a scope.
Though several items were sent to M as he attempted to get back his property, the strap and scope were not found.
Following investigation by the OPP, it was believed that based on the wording of the forfeiture order created after M’s plea, it was possible the missing items had been destroyed.
“The Risk Management department deemed the OPP not culpable for the missing items,” states the decision, and in December 2021, this was conveyed to M’s counsel, and M was advised that the “police could purchase a new beaded strap should M wish.”
But then, said the sentencing, several months later on February 23, 2022, Frederiksen called OPP Insp. Maville and “confessed he had taken the beaded strap and scope to his home and subsequently threw them in the garbage.”
The court documents state Maville expressed concern that Frederiksen “had been involved in the ordeal to attempt to locate the item, had knowledge of his colleagues’ extensive efforts, and had not said anything earlier.”
Insp. Maville advised that Frederiksen was “extremely apologetic and remorseful when he made the disclosure.”
A 27-year veteran of the OPP, Frederiksen, through his attorney Glenn Sandberg, asked for a conditional discharge and a period of probation.
Emphasizing “his long record of public service and extensive community support, his mental health struggles in a high-stress work environment, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of another officer, and rehabilitative steps taken since his arrest, which the decision states includes volunteering, and working with his church.
He has also “completed an online Aboriginal Worldviews and Education Course and is continuing with follow-up courses.”
The Crown argues that a conditional discharge would be contrary to the public interest and asks this court to suspend the passing of sentence and place Mr. Frederiksen on probation. The Crown acknowledges the various mitigating features of the case but submits they only justify reducing what would otherwise be a custodial sentence.
Though both Crown attorney David Kirk and the judge felt that “a conditional discharge would be in Mr. Frederiksen’s own best interests,” and that Frederiksen himself “needs no specific deterrence to prevent him from offending in the future,” Kirk submitted that granting the discharge “would be contrary to the public interest” and the judge agreed.
“A discharge would risk signaling to the public that this conduct is excused by the previous good character and professional service of the offender,” Jenner said in his decision. “It would risk contributing to the fraught relationship between Indigenous persons and the criminal justice system, rather than promote reconciliation.”
Given the trust placed in the offender as a supervisor, the breach of that duty, and the subsequent “sustained deception,” a conviction is required to serve that general deterrent function, the decision states.
“In my view, registering a conviction, and imposing a suspended sentence and period of probation are sufficient to denounce the conduct in clear terms, to promote a sense of responsibility in Mr. Frederiksen, and to acknowledge the harm done to M, the OPP, and the public generally,” said the decision.
https://www.sudbury.com/court/opp-serge ... on-9499395
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