OFFICER FACING CHARGES JAILED FOR THE WEEKEND

An OPP officer charged with drug trafficking and obstructing justice
will spend the weekend behind bars.

Maurice Morrissette, 37, of Kemptville, was remanded in custody
Friday morning when the prosecution wasn't prepared to accept as
sureties the family members who showed up for his court appearance.

Federal prosecutor Roderick Sonley indicated he might consider
releasing the accused under certain conditions into the care of a
brother but that duty counsel had not been able to contact him.

Justice of the Peace Ray Switzier said he wasn't prepared to wait for
the brother to attend but would run a bail hearing if that was
Morrissette's wish.

Since the onus was on the accused to show why he should be released,
Switzier cautioned against running a hearing without his lawyer and a
bail plan in place.

"If we go ahead with a bail hearing and I determine the proposed
sureties aren't suitable, then you could be kept in custody for quite
a period of time," he said. "I am telling you right now you can't
appeal on the basis you weren't ready."

Switzier told Morrissette it would be better to wait until Monday to
run the hearing when his lawyer and brother were available. Lawyer
Brad Allison is representing the accused.

After consulting briefly with duty counsel, Morrissette said he
wanted to stand the matter down to see if his brother arrived by 2 p.m.

"No, we're not waiting," Switzier shot back. "In my experience, they
generally never show up."

The accused then reluctantly agreed to put the matter over to Monday.

Both Morrissette's father and another brother stood in the body of
courtroom during his appearance.

A former member of the Prescott Police Service who joined the OPP
following amalgamation, Morrissette was taken into custody Thursday
following what police described as an 18-month investigation into the
drug and contraband cigarette trade.

He's charged with trafficking and unlawful possession of marijuana in
Ottawa on September 12, 2006 along with two counts of obstructing justice.

Morrissette is accused of attempting to obstruct the course of
justice in a judicial proceeding by transporting Mehrdad Kazikermani
away from his Prescott home between August 10-12 while he was serving
a conditional sentence .

On September 20, 2006, Morrissette is alleged to have tipped off the
occupants of 2660 MacIntosh Road in Prescott of an impending police raid.

While in custody, Morrissette was ordered not to communicate with 18
individuals he's alleged to be involved with or who may be potential
witnesses against him.

They include Bruce Perrin, a retired Prescott police officer, and
several of his former in-laws. Also named were Christine Lewis, Ryan
O'Connor, Robert Wallace, Cheryl Graham, Dwayne Shaver, Joanne Moore,
Tracy Pelletier and Richard Ducharme.

Morrissette began his career as a police officer in Sarnia in 1993.
He joined the Prescott town police in 1997 and was sworn into the OPP in 2004.

He was suspended with pay last August after being charged with
possession of marijuana following a traffic stop on Highway 416.
Those charges are still before the court.

Police say charges are pending against several other individuals.