RICHARD LAM, VANCOUVER SUN FILES
Former Vancouver police officer Peter Hodson was released on $65,000 bail with numerous conditions Wednesday as his parents watched quietly from the Main Street courtroom's gallery.
Hodson, wearing red prison attire, remained mostly expressionless as Provincial Court Judge Jeanne Watchuk listed the conditions of his release.
Hodson was fired as a police constable and arrested April 21 on several charges, including drug trafficking.
The bail conditions imposed Wednesday require Hodson to surrender his passport and remain in B.C.; return all police-issued belongings, including his badge, uniform and baton; abide by a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m.; have only one telephone, either a cellphone or a land line; and not consume alcohol outside of his White Rock home.
Hodson is also forbidden from entering a large area of the city that includes all of east Vancouver, except to attend court or work at his construction job.
Hodson's lawyer, Vincent Michaels, called the conditions "stringent," but not overly onerous. "My primary interest, of course, was getting my client out of jail as quickly as possible on terms he could live with and continue his life," said Michaels outside the court. He also urged the public not to jump to conclusions based on accusations. "We all remember many cases in the past where the evidence appeared to be overwhelming and the result at the end of the proceedings was something very different," Michaels said. "It's important to keep that in mind."
Michaels said his client -- who is "doing well" and is "in good spirits, all things considered" -- plans to plead not guilty.
Hodson, 31, was arrested after an exhaustive police investigation and charged with trafficking marijuana, break-and-enter with intent to commit extortion and two counts of breach of trust, one for selling drugs and the other for illegal use of a police database.
The former University of B.C. basketball player, who later helped create literacy projects in Africa, was a Vancouver police officer for less than five years, patrolling a district that includes the Downtown Eastside.
He allegedly committed the offences between Dec. 4 and April 20.
Oscar Lapitan, a 27-year-old from Surrey, was charged concurrently with Hodson for trafficking.
In 2008, Hodson was charged with driving while impaired off-duty and driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. He was pulled over after another off-duty officer saw a car weaving along the road and called 911. Those charges are still before the courts.
Flanked by media after the hearing, Hodson's parents said only that they love and support their son.
Hodson is expected back in court in June.
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