Mountie says he held man's cash because of 'jerk' defence lawyer
CBC
A New Brunswick RCMP officer testifying at a drug trafficking trial this week was questioned by the defence about theft charges he himself faces in an unrelated case.
Const. Christopher Sorensen, 37, was charged last October with four counts of theft and one count of breach of trust. He's scheduled to stand trial starting in March next year.
New details about the allegations emerged Wednesday when the lawyer for an accused drug trafficker called Sorensen as a witness to answer questions about the theft charges against him.
Sorensen told the court that another defence lawyer requested money seized during a police search be returned to a client. Sorensen said he didn't immediately return the money because he didn't like the lawyer.
"I had it, but I was acting like a jerk because I had been treated like a jerk by [the lawyer], so I was just taking my time," Sorensen said while testifying by phone.
Sorensen has been suspended by the RCMP and said he expects to retire from the force within a month.
He was called to testify at the trial of Randy Scopie, who is accused of drug trafficking. Sorensen was one of the officers who searched Scopie's southeast New Brunswick home in May 2022.
None of Sorensen's charges relate to Scopie, and Sorensen testified he didn't seize any of his money that wasn't properly documented.
Scopie's trial began in January 2024 but halted after allegations about Sorensen surfaced.
Defence lawyer Nathan Gorham, representing Scopie, subpoenaed Sorensen to testify about his role in searching Scopie's home and the officer's unrelated alleged crimes.
Sorensen said he was uncomfortable testifying given his mental health and the allegations against him.
The defence lawyer told Sorensen his testimony in the Moncton case as a compelled witness could not be used against him in his own trial.
Sorensen testified that there were two instances where he did not return cash that had been seized during investigations but was no longer evidence. Neither involved Scopie. He denied intending to keep money.
"I would say, did I take money? No," Sorensen said.
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