Nine Oilers hockey jerseys, an ivory statue, and an Australian boomerang. An Edmonton man claims that these and an assortment of other items seized from him by police are now either lost or damaged.
Jason Schell is suing the Edmonton Police Service for $150,000 and the return of his property, and he claims police are guilty of theft.
Schell’s lawsuit names Chief Rod Knecht, Sgt. Joseph Lewis, and Chris Shaw, owner of the now-closed Polar Spas.
Between Aug. 28 and Sept. 3, 2013, police carried out two search warrants at Schell’s Edmonton home and charged him with 216 counts of possession of stolen property. At the time, they called it the largest stolen-property seizure in the service’s history.
READ MORE: Officers conduct largest stolen property seizure in EPS history
All the charges against Schell were dropped in early 2015. But Schell claims many of his belongings have not yet been returned or were damaged or had lost value by the time he got them back, including framed paintings, gift cards and taxidermy.
READ MORE:Charges stayed in bizarre Edmonton stolen goods case
Schell also claims some items were unlawfully released to members of the public without proof that they were the rightful owners, including an Aprilia motorcycle, nine Edmonton Oilers jerseys, the ivory statue and boomerang.
The claim says Lewis wrongfully released a cedar gazebo, hot tub, and utility trailer to Shaw of Polar Spas.
The allegations made in the statement of claim have not been proven in court. A statement of defence has not yet been filed.
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