Sudbury OPP sergeant accused of stealing from evidence locker

On June 30 at approximately 1:15 a.m., the East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police were conducting general patrol duties on Hutchison Avenue in Elliot Lake when they observed a known person walking along the sidewalk who was breaching prior release conditions. (File Photo)

A 27-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police has been suspended with pay in Sudbury after being accused of stealing from the evidence vault.

"An investigation by the Professional Standards Unit, part of the OPP's Office of Professionalism, Respect, Inclusion and Leadership, began in 2021 after it was determined that items had gone missing from the evidence locker at the Sudbury detachment," police said in a news release Thursday.

As a result, OPP Sgt. Straun Frederiksen was charged with theft and breach of trust on Tuesday, after being suspended in March.

Bill Dickson, an OPP spokesperson, told CTV News in an email "the nature of items missing from the vault will be part of the evidence presented when the matters are before the courts, and cannot be released."

He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court May 25.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

According to the Ontario Sunshine List, the OPP team leader was paid $144,737.42 in 2020.