Convicted of Corruption, Toronto Cops Fight to Escape Prison Sentence

Obstructing justice is very naughty

The former boss of an elite Toronto drug squad with an "exemplary" service record should be spared a jail sentence for attempting to obstruct justice, his lawyer says.

Retired Det.-Sgt. John Schertzer and four former cohorts were convicted of doctoring their notes to falsely claim they had a warrant when they searched a heroin dealer's apartment in 1998.

But it was not for corrupt reasons, but for a good investigative motive, said his lawyer, Alan Gold on Tuesday.

It was "a one-off transgression in an otherwise exemplary career," Gold told Ontario Superior Court Justice Gladys Pardu at the five defendants' sentencing hearing. "His performance records are impeccable."