Cornwall Ontario – For many of us journalists we know no hours. We can be working days straight at a time. We can work at odd hours. Many of us have no set schedules.
CFN does not have public offices. When I need to meet someone we do it in public spaces. There are security reasons for this because of the history of myself in this community because of police corruption.
This morning my pregnant dog was barking. I was on the phone and thought I was just shushing a dog not realizing that she and her mate were simply warning me of danger.
Then I heard the pounding on my interior door.
It turned out that a Cst Martin Deprato #307 had opened the exterior door of my enclosed porch and entered attempting to get my attention by beating on my interior door. Cst Deprato was accompanied by Cst Justin Wheeler ##327. I didn’t open my door and asked through the glass what on earth they were doing there.
They were in armor, sunglasses, gloves, and instead of having their weapons on their side, were clearly visible on their chests. It certainly contrasted the beautiful sunshine of a Summer’s morning.
He refused to say why he was there at first just wanting to talk. I put the dogs away and asked him to leave my enclosed porch which he did. I then stood on my porch as he told me the nature of the visit.
We had legally served local School Teacher TRACY CHAMPAGNE for defamation as she not only suggested that I write “Fake News” but also suggested horrible things about anyone that would believe what’s written on CFN. Hardly the kind of sentiment one would think you’d want impressionable young people to be exposed too. You would think that a school teacher would know better,but sadly again….
Photo: Social Media
As one legal legend shared regarding suggestion of a journalist writing faking news when they didn’t:
I would say, as someone who teaches law, it would be the most serious allegation to make against a journalist. It would constitute libel per se and would be considered to be harmful to the journalist’s professional reputation.
It’s why Ms Champagne and the very silly Randy Sauve are now in the process of being held accountable in the courts.
The police officers stated that Tracy had called police (case # CW18-11240) and was upset at having being served. She didn’t make any claim of me contacting her about service or serving her personally or even communicating with her directly. But somehow she got the police to attend to my home for such nonsense.
That I was a public person known the the CCPS the question I asked Cst Deprato was why he simply didn’t call or email me for a non criminal event as clearly I’d done nothing wrong? I hadn’t served Ms Champagne her documents myself nor ever stepped foot on her property? Nor even suggested I would?
Cst Deprato said it was convenient for him to do so. A “call” by the CCPS costs taxpayers over $1,000. That’s a lot of cash to park a police cruiser on a quiet yet gossipy street and attempt to intimidate a journalist on an early Saturday morning? Surely a quick phone call or email would’ve sufficed?
Sadly it hasn’t been the first time the CCPS have pulled such a stunt. Last Winter they attended or called on me four times over a non criminal matter.
And people wonder why the CCPS has the reputation it does and so many want to open dialog to bring the OPP to Cornwall?
Having police at your door should only occur by invitation, or if they have a warrant, or you’ve done something to break the law. It shouldn’t be about convenience in the opinions of many shocked people inside and outside of Cornwall I communicated with since the event.
More ironically I reported someone harassing me a few weeks ago. After being told not to communicate with me Jean Poirier went on a rampage of posting things publicly and making crank calls to my number. The police actually said at one point that they called him, but he was away for the weekend and they’d check in on him when he returned. When they did speak with him he actually confirmed and admitted what he did, but they still refused to charge him.
A previous incident resulted in a CCPS officer telling me that if the party communicated with me again they’d be charged. They did the next day and no charge was laid.
With an average cost per capita about on par with Toronto ($397 compared to $158 per person for the OPP in SD&G) surely each and everyone of us in Cornwall deserve to be treated equally, fairly, and with the respect we clearly overpay for?
What do you think dear CFN viewer? Isn’t it time to hold the CCPS accountable from the top down for some of these irregular ways that they spend our tax dollars?
You can post your comments below. And we will be updating this story once Chief Parkinson or future Chief Danny Aikman respond.
One can only imagine you must have felt frightened to see police officers with guns visible on their chests? (What is that even?) Was the intention to frighten you for no reason; do people think you’re some kind of “convenient” mark for bullying? It’s disgusting.
Mary Anne there’s been so much gossip and “fake news” about myself and CFN among the cliques that most of them can’t even see the reality.
They are like lobsters in the pot. It’s sad for the community to see some of the stuff that’s been posted. And no wonder so many have left and are leaving.
Would you want to move to a community with corrupt police? This needs to be remedied and it only might happen with an inquiry from the AG.
Absolutely intimidation tactics Jamie!!
Bring on the OPP, we need to clean house.
Interesting side note: when I filed a complaint against Cst Martin Deprato #307, I received 2 calls from Staff Sgt Michaud…. I guess the $2000 should come off the paycheque of #307.
I was sexually assaulted when I was about 10 and I remember the investigator commenting that “at least she isn’t lying about this,” to another officer when I brought them to the bush where I was assaulted. Working with domestic violence victims and being one myself in addition to protecting troubled teens have seen first hand how they fuel the crisis, over and over again. respect is earned!
This same type of police harassment under poor leadership is the same reason that many good cops left the force for OPP after Project Truth when they crucified one of their own, that is why so many pups today in the force
Intimidation at its worst. You’d think by now they’d know that intimidation doesn’t work on some people. The thought process of some people just boggles the mind at times. What did Ms Champagne think the CCPS could do? What is involved is a legal process. Just because she was upset at the process does not mean the CCPs can do anything about the proceedings. Arrggghhhh!!!!!
Jamie I could not put up with one iota of what you are going through in Cornwall at all. I know that the cops in Cornwall are mighty corrupt and it isn’t a good place to live. The clique is who runs that cursed town and it runs it into the ground. I feel very sorry for the good people in Cornwall who have to live with that. Corruption is everywhere but Cornwall is something else.
Hugger the question becomes if it wasn’t me would two CCPS officers beat on someone’s door for something like this. I think we know what the majority would answer so it clearly appears to be consistent police harassment.
I became a target in 2003 when a police officer called me at home asking me personal questions. Other officers started calling by name in public places. I didn’t know any of them. This was very upsetting and disturbing since I lived alone. I called Councillor Mark MacDoand and Police HR and threaten to go the Chief if this didn’t stop. The officer was put on leave.
Diane Shay
Diane we now have documented over TEN cases where people clearly broke the law and the police refused to lay a charge no matter how obvious including an incident being done in front of an officer.
Plausible deniability might excuse one incident, but not the body of work. In once incident I reported Deprato’s brother tried to entice me into a confrontation while I was trapped in a small room. Nobody should go through this.
The three officers involved with my clearly false arrest are still on the job, Cst Casey Macgregor, Sgt Chad Maxwell, and Chief Dan Parkinson.
It still needs to be held accountable. I went to lawyers who said if only they’d have smacked me around the case would be worth their while.
The entire concept of justice is being made whole after a proven incident. This has not remotely been happening in Cornwall.
Ha, Justin Wheeler! Ask him if he drinks and drives after bowling?
Mr Editor,
I would agree with some citizens, that it’s now time to get a costing from the OPP ! Our force has priced themselves out of a job ! No, I;m not critical of the rank & file, but, we must get control of their budget. Our out of town Chief Dan & his side-kick, has to own this issue ! The Police Service Board , well that’s a whole story on it’s own ? Get a costing !
Jamie when I sit here and remenis about Cornwall and the sex abuse from back in the 1950’s and 60s as a child and the corrupt cops as well as the corrupt politicians in Cornwall from way back till today Cornwall is a mess that cannot be healed that easy. I sometimes think about Cst. Perry Dunlop and his family what hell that they went through and all others as well including yourself.
Jamie,
If you have a founded issue with the officers and their actions mentioned in your piece, then all you have to is fill out a complaint with the OIPRD, if the matter is legit it will be investigated and if there are wrong doings they will be sanctioned…end of story.
David OIPRD is pretty much a joke. I know all of my legal remedies thank you. It’s pretty much akin to asking the kkk to investigate a cross burning.
If using OIPRD is the option you might as well ask the SIU to investigate as well. Police investigating police….nothing could go wrong there, eh?
Hugger the SIU has a challenging job. To their credit officers do get charged occasionally.
Occasionally is the issue. It seems that there should be a lot more charged. But, IMHO, police investigating police is the issue. As the motto seems to be ‘protect your own at all costs.’ Using flimsy, at best, excuses not to charge those that should be charged.
Hugger here’s the thing. For any officer to actually be charged the case has to stand up to a higher criteria. Police have very very strong unions that will backup an officer, even when clearly guilty. It’s part of why we see officers getting paid while waiting for trial and other issues that you and I would not have.
It’s also a reason why police have to police themselves to higher standards which sadly far too often we don’t see. And many times happens in the shadows behind closed doors.
For example we probably will never know what actually transpired around the CCPS sgt that’s on medical leave now and why it’s been months since the Morrisburg OPP police shooting. Scary, huh?
Scary and sad at the same time.
The Sargent in change of the sexual assault department at the corrupt police department in Cornwall came to my house at 9 pm at night. There was another cop outside in his car. We aware all in bed and lights out. He came in our home, falsely accused my daughter of something she didn’t do, and when the accuser went back to the police station and told them she made false allegations against my daughter, that crooked Sargent didn’t come back and apologize. On top of that, I asked this officer for his name and badge number and he told me to go ask the accuser. There is a lot more I could say on another matter, but I am still looking in to how to deal with what another officer did. Victims have no rights in this crooked city