Senior northern Ont. police sergeant pleads guilty to pointing gun at rookie cops
A 67-year-old detective staff sergeant with the Anishinabek Police Service in northern Ontario has pleaded guilty to pointing his service pistol at colleagues and using a gun in a careless manner.
Complaints from several fellow APS officers led to an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police professional standards unit.
APS Det. Staff Sgt. Tony Hanson. Jan. 30/17 (Anishinabek Police Service Twitter)
As a result of the investigation, Tony Hanson was charged in June 2023 with 18 criminal offences.
Hanson is a long-time member of the Indigenous police service starting in 2002.
The charges include nine counts each of using his police service-issued Glock 9 mm in a careless manner and pointing it at three different rookie officers on several different occasions.
Court documents obtained by CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca state the incidents occurred between Oct. 7, 2020, and April 1, 2022, at the Pic River APS detachment in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, near Marathon in northwestern Ontario.
A dozen of the charges involve one officer.
After the charges were laid last year, Hanson was suspended with pay.
In a hearing Feb. 16, he pleaded guilty to one of each criminal charge, for a total of two.
Requests for comment sent to APS Acting Chief of Police Marc Lesage went unanswered.
- Download the CTV News app now
- Get local breaking news alerts
- Daily newsletter with the top local stories emailed to your inbox
Hanson is listed on the Ontario Sunshine List with APS as staff sergeant professional standards from 2006 to 2008 with salaries ranging from $106,670 to $112,873.
The judge ordered a pre-sentence report, which will outline his background and will be used to inform the sentencing decision.
The penalty in Canada for a conviction of pointing a firearm is up to five years in prison and up to two years of imprisonment for careless use of a gun.
His next court date is scheduled for July 18 at 2 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
AS IT HAPPENED Wildfire reaches Jasper Wednesday night, causes 'significant loss'
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park reached the townsite Wednesday night and caused 'significant loss.'
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.