Fredericton constable admits lying about going to crime scenes
Const. Zach Coady admitted Monday to falsifying reports and neglecting his duty as a Fredericton police officer.
Coady, 28, originally denied the charges of discreditable conduct, neglect of duty and engaging in deceit in November of last year.
He changed his stance at a New Brunswick Police Act hearing Monday morning.
An audit of Coady's investigations found that six of 17 reports he'd written had false or inaccurate entries. Five more were in dispute, but it wasn't clear if they contained actual falsehoods.
The falsehoods stem from Coady's claims he visited crime scenes or contacted people when he did not.
James Eddy, the lawyer representing Chief Leanne Fitch, outlined half a dozen times in 2017 when Coady submitted written reports saying he had investigated thefts that he hadn't.
In his opening statement to the arbitration hearing, Eddy also said Coady reported he contacted complainants when he didn't.
The police force is seeking to fire Coady. The hearing before arbitrator Robert Breen is scheduled to continue Tuesday.
The investigation into Coady's conduct started after he was dispatched to investigate the theft of $25,000 worth of audio equipment on New Brunswick Legislature property.
He never showed up at the scene, the arbitration hearing was told. Someone from the legislature complained to the police chief that no one responded to the theft report.
At a meeting with his bosses, Coady denied having received any calls or emails from the legislature.
Deputy Chief Martin Gaudet launched an audit of all Coady's files in 2017 where Coady was the sole investigator. He was suspended with pay in September 2017.
Eddy said a serious impaired driving charge had to be dropped because the Crown couldn't put Coady, the sole investigator, in the witness box. The Crown would have had to reveal Coady was being investigated for falsifying reports, and the prosecutor wouldn't have been able to defend Coady's credibility, the hearing was told.
