OFFICER FACES ANXIOUS WAIT AFTER NEEDLE INJURY

A Victoria police officer has to wait weeks to find out if he
contracted a blood-borne disease after being pricked by a needle while
searching a suspect.

The constable and other patrol officers had been searching a 49-year-
old homeless man wanted on multiple, province-wide warrants in the 700
block of Discovery Street Monday, police spokesman Const. Mike Russell
said.

The officer asked the man if he had any syringes or sharp object in
his pockets, as is common protocol to protect officers, and the man
said no, Russell said.

The officer was pricked with an uncapped syringe, which was among an
assortment of exposed syringes, knife blades and razors which lined
the suspect's pockets.

Police allege the man purposely lined his jacket with sharp objects to
cause harm in the event of a search. "The way that they were laid out
on his person was to cause intentional harm to somebody," Russell
said.

Manfred Waldhuber is being charged with setting traps likely to cause
bodily harm, assault and two charges of carrying a prohibited weapon.

Setting traps is an extremely rare charge, Russell said. The last time
it was laid was in June when police found a powerful bomb and booby
traps inside a suspected drug house on Carroll Street.

The constable, in his 30s, was taken to hospital and had extensive
tests for blood-borne diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C.

He is awaiting further tests and recommendations from an infectious
disease specialist, and faces weeks of uncertainty as he awaits the
results, Russell said.

"It's the whole unknown. You don't know if you're going to be fine or
have to go on the anti-viral drugs. Going on those is like having the
flu for six months."

This is the second time in the past year that an officer has been
pricked with a needle during a search, Russell said. The last time,
after tests, the officer was fine.

Russell said he is not aware of a Victoria police officer contracting
a blood-borne disease in the line of work.

Officers wear gloves during searches, but the gloves are not puncture-
proof.

The officer is off work and it's up to his doctor when he'll be able
to resume his duties, Russell said.

Waldhuber had a telebail hearing to answer to the two outstanding
warrants for breach of conditions and will appear in court Friday to
face the new charges.