THUNDER BAY — A Thunder Bay Police Service officer has pleaded not guilty to charges of breach of trust and obstruction of justice.
A trial began on Monday at the Thunder Bay Courthouse for Staff Sgt. Michael Dimini, who was charged in Dec. 2023 after a two-year long investigation by the OPP into allegations of misconduct by members of the city’s police service.
He was also charged with two counts of assault stemming from separate incidents. Dimini was found not guilty in both assault trials held earlier this year.
The trial began with Dimini pleading not guilty to both charges and then Crown lawyer, Vlatko Karadzic, outlined what he called the broad strokes of his case.
Karadzic said the court will hear evidence that a Clody Marson had his storage area broken into and items taken in the fall of 2020. One of his daughters was the common-law partner of Dimini at the time and, after filing a police report online, Marson found a TV that was stolen from him posted online for sale.
He contacted the police service to ask for an escort as he attempted to retrieve the TV from the seller, as he had set up a time to buy it back.
Four officers were dispatched to the call. They saw a woman going up the stairs in the apartment building with the TV. She brought the officers inside the building and handed the TV over to them.
“Unbeknownst to any of the officers present” the accused attended the call unannounced, said Karadzic, and spoke with the woman, demanding entry into the apartment.
She was not willing to let the officers in and questioned their authority to enter.
The Crown then alleged Dimini made his way into the apartment without a warrant and arrested an individual who had outstanding warrants.
Karadzic said the breach of trust charge is premised on a theory Dimini knowingly and without lawful authority went into a dwelling to assist his then father-in-law, and the obstruction charge relates to the notes he produced on the interaction.
The trial is scheduled to take place over 15 days.
The allegations against the accused have not been proven in court.
