The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, December 12, 2000 - 3 Testimony finished; lawyers wrapping up Trial of three officers reaching final stages By Rik Davie Special to the Star The final stages of the trial of three police officers charged in the 1998 shoot- ing of Tony Romagnuolo has entered its final stages, after more than three weeks of testimony. The trial, being heard by Superior Court Justice Archie Campbell, has been filled with allegations of contradictory testimony from members of the dead man's family, and sugges- tions by Crown Attorney John Corelli that the offi- cers have tailored their testimony about the events surrounding the shooting. The incident occurred on the evening of Dec. 28, 1998 when two York Region Constables, accompanied by two Durham Regional officers, traveled to the Romagnuolo home on the I 7th Sideroad near Sunderland to investigate allegations that Lorenzo Romagnuolo had threat- ened an officer during a phone conversation. A ver- bal and physical confronta- tion is alleged to have taken place that left Const. Randy Martin with a facial wound, Tony Romagnuolo fatally wounded by three shots in the abdomen and one to the leg, and his son Rocco hit in the abdomen by a single shot. Enzo Romagnuolo was acquitted of the threaten- ing charges. The province's Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which probes police inci- dents that result in serious injury or death to civilians, laid it's first ever murder charge against Const. Martin, who is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Tony Romagnuolo. Const. Hoskin has been charged with careless use of a firearm and assault with a weapon, and Durham Const. Robins is Durham Police are seeking the public's help in an Uxbridge jewelry theft. Police report that sometime around 3 p.m. on Nov. 30 a man walked into Rutledge Jewelers in Uxbridge and was look- ing at a ring. When the salesper- son turned their back, police say the man fled the store with the ring. The ring is valued at approximately $6,000. The suspect is described as a white male, about 5'10" and 25 Police seek tips in jewelry heist years old. He had a red goatee and a cut above his upper lip, say police. The suspect wore an orange work jacket with yellow reflective stripes, similar to those worn by construction or roads crews. He also had a black wool cap and green work pants. The suspect also smelled of booze, say police. Anyone with informa- tion regarding this inci- dent is asked to contact Durham Police at 579- 1520. A Marigold Gift Certificate would be an ideal gift for the traveller c on your list! charged with aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm by the dis- charge of a firearm in rela- tion to the wounding of then 17-year-old Rocco Romagnuolo. The four women and eight men of the jury have heard from police tapes - made by the two York offi- cers as they questioned Tony and Enzo - that the scuffle began when officers attempted to take Enzo into custody. Const. Martin told the court earlier of a struggle with Tony Romagnuolo in which he said the man had him in a choke hold and pushed the officer's gun into his face. Const. Martin told the court that after he gained some control over his Barretta .40 caliber pis- he pushed it at Tony ot 'fired until it wouldn't fire any more." Durham Const. Al Robins, who earlier said he shot Rocco "in order to "preserve the life of Const. Martin," is represented by high-profile lawyer Harry Black, while Constables Martin and Hoskin are being represented by David Humphrey and Scott Fenton respectively. The defense team is now making its closing arguments. After the Crown rests its case, Justice Campbell will begin what is expected to be a two- day charge to the jury. By the end of the week the jury should begin deliberations. All of the officers have pleaded not guilty. Y v A i, , n . A N or Kids i Sale Ends Dec. 24/00 Sun. BRr@C All Men's, Women's & Kids eepwear & Slippers Christmas Store Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9:30 to 8:30 Sat. 9:30 to 5:30 11:00 to 5:00 Sun., Dec 24 9:30 to 4:00 CLOSED DEC. 25 & 26 Lo a 168 78 Queen Street, Port Perry O()5-985-25 y21 ums... BR2CKS M1 {Ox