Winnipeg police sergeant sues officers, ex-union head

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This article was published 30/01/2024 (784 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg Police Service sergeant is suing two fellow officers and the former head of the police union, accusing them of “malicious prosecution” and a “calculated” scheme to subvert the administration of criminal justice and force his retirement.

A lawsuit on behalf of Sgt. Keith Alexander — filed Jan. 19 in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench — accuses patrol sergeants Adam Cheadle and Andrew Zurawsky (a Winnipeg Police Association board member and “close associate” of then-union president Moe Sabourin) of making up allegations Alexander uttered death threats to a WPS member because they wanted him removed as their supervisor.

Alexander was transferred to north Winnipeg’s Hartford station in March 2019, where Cheadle and Zurawsky were assigned.

According to the lawsuit, in April 2019, Cheadle sent an email to Zurawsky and members of WPS management that falsely accused Alexander of uttering threats to kill or do harm to another member of the police service.

In the following weeks, Cheadle and Zurawsky made false statements to WPS professional standards unit, accusing Alexander of uttering threats, the statement of claim says, with the lawsuit noting they were the only witnesses to the alleged threats.

The documents further say the accusers set in motion criminal proceedings against Alexander with “neither subjective nor reasonable grounds.”

When Alexander learned of the charges, he retained defence lawyer Richard Wolson and the Winnipeg Police Association covered his legal fees. The union represents more than 1,400 police officers and provides counsel and support to its members when they are facing criminal charges.

The lawsuit alleges then-WPA president Sabourin “provided direction to Wolson and attempted to control Alexander’s defence to the criminal charges.”

Alexander’s statement of claim says Wolson advised him not to provide a statement to the professional standards unit. On Oct. 29, 2019, Alexander was arrested by members of the unit and charged with two criminal counts of uttering threats to a police service member.

The lawsuit says even though Alexander had said the allegations were false and he planned to plead not guilty, his lawyer, without being instructed to do so, tried to arrange a plea agreement with the Crown.

The proposed deal would have the charges stayed in exchange for Alexander retiring from the WPS, engaging in extensive counselling, agreeing to never work again as a police officer and to have no contact with the alleged victim for two years, the court documents say.

Alexander’s statement of claim says he wasn’t made aware of the plea deal until after counsel for the Crown accepted his lawyer’s proposal in May 2020.

Alexander then rejected the proposed plea deal.

The lawsuit claims Sabourin told Alexander he should accept Wolson’s “advice” and that his representation by the high-profile criminal defence lawyer could be withdrawn by the union.

Alexander never authorized Wolson to share details of his defence with Sabourin or anyone outside of Wolson’s firm and he replaced Wolson with other counsel for not following his instructions to prepare for a trial, according to the lawsuit.

A month before the trial was to start in March 2022, the Crown stayed the criminal charges.

The statement of claim says, in May 2022, the WPA president told Alexander it is “common practice” for counsel to discuss a case with the police association because the WPA is the client who had retained Wolson on his behalf.

The lawsuit alleges it was only then Alexander learned Sabourin “had attempted to take over and subvert the defence of the criminal charges against him.”

The lawsuit alleges the criminal charges were initiated by Cheadle and Zurawsky, in consultation with Sabourin, for the “malicious purpose of removing Alexander as their supervisor and forcing Alexander’s retirement from the Winnipeg Police Service.”

The documents accuse Sabourin of trying to manipulate Alexander’s defence of the criminal charges to pressure him to retire by “exerting pressure, influence or direction over Wolson.”

The lawsuit asks for unspecified punitive damages.

No statement of defence had yet been filed.

Sabourin — who retired from the WPS and stepped down as WPA president in 2022 — said Monday he hasn’t received a copy of the statement of claim and wasn’t prepared to comment.

Attempts to reach Cheadle and Zurawsky through the Winnipeg Police Association were unsuccessful Monday.

Alexander’s lawyer, Ian Histed, did not respond to a request for comment.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca