OPP Inspector Arrested for Selling Wayne Gretzky Hockey Stick Files $6.3 Million Lawsuit

Even though charges were dropped, officer suffered irreparable harm to reputation, statement of claim alleges

Walter Gretzky and his son Wayne are shown in a 1984 file photo. The Canadian Press via AP

An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) inspector has filed a lawsuit seeking over $6.3 million in damages against the Brantford Police Service, the OPP, and the RCMP, in relation to her arrest in 2020 for selling a hockey stick owned by “the Great One,” Wayne Gretzky.

OPP Inspector June Dobson of Brockville, Ontario, is described in the statement of claim filed by her lawyers on her behalf as “a longtime close friend of the late Walter Gretzky,” father of Wayne, the famous hockey great who played for the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, and others.

“June Dobson and Water Gretzky were longtime close friends. They spent a lot of time together over the years,” said the court document obtained by The Epoch Times. “Because of their ongoing friendship, Walter Gretzky gifted Ms. Dobson an old Hespeler hockey stick that Wayne Gretzky used to practice with in the family’s backyard.”

The stick, which was ultimately the reason for Ms. Dobson’s arrest, was signed by Mr. Gretzky in 2014.

The senior police officer decided to sell the hockey stick in the spring of 2019 because she was “in need of additional money to support a family member.” Eventually she began communicating with a self-proclaimed Gretzky memorabilia collector about selling several items she owned, including the Hespeler hockey stick.

Arrest

According to her statement of claim, Ms. Dobson was arrested on Dec. 7, 2020, and charged with fraud over $5,000 with respect to the sale of the Hespeler stick. She was also charged with breach of trust because she was an OPP officer. A number of individual officers are also named in the lawsuit.

The charges were then withdrawn on Aug. 12, 2021, according to criminal defence lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, but not before significant media attention was given to the case due to the connection with the renowned hockey player.

The arrest, charge, and resulting publicity caused Ms. Dobson irreparable damage, said Mr. Greenspon. He said that Ms. Dobson “had always acted with the highest level of integrity” throughout her 30-year police career.

According to Mr. Greenspon, his client was arrested due to a “serious flawed rush to judgment.”

In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, Ms. Dobson said, “Being accused of taking advantage of someone I deeply cared for is, sadly, by far the most traumatizing and devastating experience of my life.”

Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers (R) and Montreal Canadiens Guy Lafleur are seen during a break in their light skate at the first day of training camp for Team Canada in Montreal, on Aug. 10, 1981. CP Photo/Ian MacAlpine

A friend of the Gretzky family saw a “substantial amount” of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia for sale online and contacted the Brantford Police Service. An investigation was launched and Ms. Dobson was one of the individuals arrested.

“The investigation which resulted in the arrest of Ms. Dobson was woefully inadequate,” alleged the statement of claim. “The defendants had tunnel vision right from the beginning of the investigation. They were blinded by the fact that the investigation involved the Gretzky family and Wayne Gretzky memorabilia.”

The arrest was allegedly made based on statements given by Walter Gretzky, who passed away on March 4, 2021, at the age of 83. According to the court document, his children admitted in police interviews that the senior Mr. Gretzky had been suffering from “steadily declining cognitive function for many years.” The police allegedly relied on statements made by the senior Mr. Gretzky’s children, whom the lawsuit described as “having a vested interest in having the Gretzky memorabilia returned.”

Former Edmonton Oilers great Wayne Gretzky speaks to media about the upcoming NHL Greatest Team celebration game and being voted the greatest team of all time, in Toronto on Dec. 10, 2017. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Hockey Stick

Ms. Dobson’s lawsuit alleges the police should have known that the statements they obtained from Walter Gretzky had “low” reliability, “given that their interview of him took place with Walter Gretzky in a hospital bed in his rec room with other family members present. Further, when presented with a photograph of him holding the stick and a photocopy of the certificate of authenticity signed by him, he could not recall holding the stick or signing a certificate of authenticity.”

The man who bought the hockey stick, described as “one of the foremost Wayne Gretzky memorabilia collectors in the world,” was not interviewed, the statement of claim said. When he learned Ms. Dobson had been arrested, he provided a statement to police saying he did not believe he had been a victim of fraud.

When Mr. Gretzky was interviewed by police he told them “he could not recall whether or not he used that particular stick in the backyard or not.” However, he confirmed that he had used a wooden Hespeler stick when practising in the backyard

Six police officers, who included four OPP officers and two RCMP officers, were dispatched to Brockville, Ontario, to locate, search, and arrest Ms. Dobson, alleges the lawsuit. The officer, 58 years old at the time, was on medical leave from work, as she had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which the lawsuit alleges was exacerbated by the arrest and the charges brought against her.

“Even after the charges were withdrawn, June Dobson had to deal with proceedings under the Police Services Act that were commenced against her by the OPP because of the criminal charges laid by the defendants,” said the suit.

The lawsuit states that police never investigated or asked Ms. Dobson how she acquired the Gretzky memorabilia and ignored the fact that none of the family members had ever reported any of the memorabilia sold by Ms. Dobson as missing or stolen.

The lawsuit also says the case generated significant media attention and coverage about the arrest of the veteran police officer.

The OPP and Brantford Police Service were contacted for comment but did not respond by press time.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, co-counsel Tina Hill said Ms. Dobson’s “reputation and future was destroyed as a result of criminal charges that should never have been laid.”