A Chatham-Kent police officer is getting kudos for thinking outside the box.
Constable Jeff Teetzel was the lead investigator in Chatham-Kent's largest-ever drug bust and is getting credit for making the best out of a bad situation. He worked with the drug dealer and the mother of his children to return $52,000 seized by police to benefit their two kids.
Jonathan Toornstra, 36 and originally from Dresden, pleaded guilty in Chatham court on Wednesday to trafficking fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine and having an unauthorized handgun with ammunition.
Chief Gary Conn is out of the office this week but the officer in charge of the Major Crime Unit and the Intelligence Section is giving Teetzel a lot of credit for his compassion. Detective Sergeant Gabe Tetrault said he is very proud of Teetzel for thinking of the children.
“Constable Jeff Teetzel is a long-standing member of our Drug and Intelligence Section. His hard work, persistence and extensive police experience with the drug culture and lifestyle lead to this arrest, seizure and successful prosecution," Tetrault said. "Jeff showed great compassion and care, as well as ‘out of the box’ thinking, to recommend that the seized drug money from Toornstra be placed in trust for his children."
Tetrault added that the members of the Drug and Intelligence Section work together as a team and pride themselves on attaining results that keep drugs and weapons off the streets, as evidenced in this case.
Federal prosecutor Tim Mathany said he will be reaching out to Teetzel's superiors to express his thoughts on Teetzel's novel approach with the children and the outstanding work he did in this case.
Mathany said Teetzel should "be commended for an incredible job".