Ottawa police officer pleads guilty to misconduct for stealing groceries from Gatineau store
An Ottawa police officer has pleaded guilty to misconduct for stealing $87 worth of groceries from a Gatineau, Que. grocery store.
Const. Sarah Bell entered the guilty plea for discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act during a hearing before the Ottawa Police Professional Standards Section this week. She will face sentencing at a later date.
Bell was shopping at a grocery store while off duty on July 13, 2021.
According to an agreed statement of facts, the loss prevention officer conducting a routine visual scan of the surveillance system observed that Bell did not appear to be scanning the items correctly at the self-checkout machine.
"The LPO noted that Const. Bell took one item in her right hand and another in her left hand, proceeded to scan the item in her left hand, but not the item in her right hand," the statement said. "Const. Bell then placed the items into her bin as if they had both been scanned. The LPO observed that Const. Bell was not scanning various items."
Bell paid for the items she scanned and headed towards the exit, where the security officer arrested her, the statement said. Bell identified herself as an Ottawa police officer.
Bell paid for $87.46 worth of groceries and stole an additional $87.68, the loss prevention officer concluded. Gatineau police officers were called to the store.
The agreed statement of facts says Gatineau's Crown Office recommended Bell face one count of theft under $5,000. Following court appearances, the Crown's Office decided the file would be referred to the Alternative Measures Program, and the charge was dismissed after Bell carried out the required conditions.
The Professional Standards Section says during an interview in October, Bell admitted she, "purposely failed to scan several items at the self-checkout machine … and made no attempts to pay for these items before leaving the store."
Bell has been a police officer with the Ottawa Police Service since 2018.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Oilers starting Calvin Pickard in goal for Game 4 vs. Canucks
The Edmonton Oilers will start Calvin Pickard in net Tuesday for Game 4 of their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.