ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Dustin Etheridge was the main target of a major police investigation, a suspected criminal with ties to drugs, weapons and dangerous people, and his fingers in many pots, lawyers alleged Thursday.
As the third day of trial got underway for John Squires, Shane Clarke and Brandon Glasco, it was their defence lawyers’ turn to question the first witness, a police officer involved in the investigation that led to their arrests.
The three men have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to murder another man, Bradley Summers, in May 2018. Etheridge, their co-accused, has pleaded guilty to murder conspiracy, a weapons charge and drugs offences, and will be sentenced later this month.
The police operation, dubbed Operation Tarantula, began as an investigation into Etheridge’s suspected criminal activity, particularly involving drug trafficking, and saw investigators acquire authorization to intercept his phone calls and texts, and to plant hidden recording devices in his home and two other places.
About a month in, investigators say, they caught him and the other accused men talking about calibres of firearms, and learned of a plot to kill Summers.
Etheridge, 28, and Squires, 36, were arrested the evening of May 16 on the same street where Summers was located, police say, and Squires was carrying a loaded handgun. Clarke, 26, and Glasco, 21, were arrested three months later.
Though Etheridge has not been the subject of the trial, he has so far been a focus of it.
RNC Sgt. Chris Hussey was the first witness called by the Crown to testify, and he presented dozens of audio recordings captured by the phone intercepts and hidden devices, alleging to feature the four men. Over the course of two days, the court heard talk of firearms, vehicles and gloves, some of the conversation seemingly in code.
Some of the audio clips were more direct.
“Brad Summers causing you problems?” Etheridge asked a woman on the phone. “Is he showing up at your house? Do you want me to deal with him? Get him to meet you at a parking lot and he won’t be heard from again.”
In another recording, captured at Etheridge’s home, voices alleged to belong to him, Glasco and Squires are heard chatting over what sounds like a YouTube tutorial on gun handling. There’s talk of a gun and the popping and clicking sounds police believe to be a magazine loading into a firearm.
“Bradley’s dead,” a man is heard saying.
Defence lawyers questioned Hussey on the clarity of the recordings and the accuracy of the transcripts that accompanied them. He explained the recordings had been transcribed by civilians hired to monitor the intercepts and were proofed by police officers. Hussey told the court police have software that can be used to slow voices down and eliminate background noise for the purposes of transcription.
Lawyer Tony St. George, representing Glasco, pointed to a part in the transcript where a voice is identified to be that of his client, even though the conversation included talk of picking him up.
“You would agree that it would be logically difficult for him to be one of the people in the conversation?” St. George asked the officer.
“It sounded like Brandon Glasco to me, but it could have been a mistake,” Hussey replied. “How we’re hearing these in the courtroom is different than how we’re hearing them in the office with headsets.”
Derek Hogan, representing Squires, suggested it was Etheridge who made a particular comment attributed in the transcripts to his client. Hussey acknowledged it was possible.
The defence lawyers stressed Etheridge’s apparent leadership in the plot, asking Hussey whether he believed Etheridge was the one directing the others what to do.
Hussey acknowledged that appeared to be the case, agreeing Etheridge had directed various people to drive across the province for him – and in at least one case, to Montreal and back – get him a clean vehicle and book a hotel room, reportedly for a firearms deal with someone from the mainland who was coming to town.
Etheridge’s associates in that regard appeared to phase in and out, though Clarke seemed to be one of the main ones, Hussey said.
“It appears Mr. Etheridge had his finger in many pots, is that fair to say?” St. George asked.
“Yes, it appears he’d run the show,” Hussey replied. “It’s quite evident from the transcripts that he’s directing people what to do.”
Jon Noonan, representing Clarke, questioned Hussey on Etheridge’s alleged romantic relationships with different women, including Summers’ girlfriend, and the girlfriend of Justin Jennings, who was in prison at the time.
Hussey said he had been familiar with Summers from various cases and acknowledged Summers’ criminal background included an association with weapons.
“Would police consider Mr. Summers to be dangerous?” Noonan asked.
“Absolutely,” Hussey replied, indicating the same for Jennings.
Noonan pointed out that a search of Clarke’s parents’ home after the men were arrested included the seizure of a number of firearms.
Hussey said they were later found to be legally owned by Clarke’s father.
An order has since been issued by the court for their return to him.
The trial continued with prosecutor Lloyd Strickland’s second witness, RNC Sgt. Steve Knight, who spoke about Etheridge’s whereabouts the day of his arrest.
Knight was a member of the police surveillance team tasked with following Etheridge and monitoring his activities.
The trial continues Friday.
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