Convicted Hamilton police officer Craig Ruthowsky misses his court date on new charges

Imprisoned Hamilton police officer Craig Ruthowsky had a court date in Toronto Tuesday, related to the next set of corruption charges he faces. However, he was not there for his court appearance because his lawyer failed to make arrangements for him to be brought from prison. He’s due back in court on March 19th for a judicial pretrial.

Ruthowsky was the subject of a Hamilton police investigation when the then-suspended officer was caught up in a Toronto police crackdown on guns and gangs. A surveillance team captured him giving advice to a drug dealer over the phone.

Last year the 44-year-old was convicted of bribery, obstruction of justice, breach of trust and cocaine trafficking. A jury found that he had taken at least a quarter million dollars from drug dealers in exchange for protection from prosecution. He was sentenced to twelve and a half years in prison.

Then police laid 16 new charges against Ruthowsky related to the ongoing Hamilton police investigation for offences allegedly committed between 2009 and 2012, when the detective was suspended from the police force. 12 of those charges still stand.

Ruthowsky was suspended without pay when his prison term started on May 30th 2018. On August 31st he resigned from the Hamilton police force.