OPP officer among those charged in massive Gretzky memorabilia theft

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says that one of their inspectors is being charged with fraud in connection to stolen Wayne Gretzky memorabilia, Global News reports.

The investigation, which is ongoing, has involved both the OPP and the RCMP.

The theft took place earlier this year, with over $630,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia being stolen from Gretzky's father's home in Brantford, Ontario. The thief then sold the items to buyers across Canada, which sparked RCMP involvement in the investigation.

The Gretzky family contacted the police in August after they realized that memorabilia was missing from their collection.

The stolen items included used hockey sticks, hockey gloves, pants, jerseys, and a player-of-the-year award.

Much of the memorabilia has been recovered by authorities and a 58-year-old from Oakville was charged in relation to the theft. Now OPP inspector June Dobson is also being charged for fraud in connection with the incident.

"During the course of the initial investigation, police uncovered evidence, unrelated to the initial investigation, that a separate individual is believed to have committed fraud involving Gretzky memorabilia," OPP spokesman Bill Dickson said.

"While Inspector Dobson was on duty when the alleged incidents took place, she is currently on unrelated leave. We cannot speak to the reasons for her leave due to privacy guidelines."

A woman from Brockville, Ontario was also charged with fraud in relation to missing Gretzky memorabilia, although police say this is not connected to the initial investigation.