THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay Police Service officer facing several criminal charges will have three separate trials starting in early 2025.
Trial dates were put on the record during a brief hearing for Staff Sgt. Michael Dimini on Thursday in a Thunder Bay courtroom on Thursday.
Dimini was charged late last year by the Ontario Provincial Police with two counts of assault, one count of breach of trust, and one count of obstruction of justice.
According to court documents, one assault charge is from an alleged incident in 2014, the second assault charge dates back to 2016, and the breach of trust and obstruction of justice charges are from November 2020.
The charges stem from a multi-year investigation by the OPP launched in 2021 at the request of the Ministry of the Attorney General to look into allegations of misconduct within the Thunder Bay Police Service.
A four-day trial for the 2014 assault charge will begin on Feb. 24, 2025; a five-day trial on the second assault charge from 2016 will open on April 28, 2025, and a three-week trial for the breach of trust and obstruction of justice charges will begin on May 26, 2025.
All trials will be heard by three separate out-of-town judges.
The OPP investigation also resulted in former police chief Sylvie Hauth being charged with obstruction of justice, obstructing a public or peace officer, and breach of trust.
Former Thunder Bay Police Service in-house lawyer Holly Walbourne was also charged with breach of trust, obstructing a public or peace officer, and obstruction of justice.
Hauth and Walbourne have made first court appearances and are scheduled to return to court next month.
Dimini is on leave from the Thunder Bay Police Service as per the Police Services Act.
