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This article was published 27/11/2015 (1762 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Police painted a troubling picture of former National Hockey League player Ian White in obtaining a search warrant that led them to seize a small arsenal of firearms from his home and cottage last week.

White, 31, was described as "spiralling out of control," in an affidavit filed by Cpl. John Hurley, a Winnipeg member of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team. The Free Press reviewed an exclusive copy of the unsealed document this week. Police then attempted Friday to have the warrant sealed, but were denied by a magistrate.

MARK HUMPHREY / THE CANADIAN PRESS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Police say former NHL defenceman Ian White was arrested in Winnipeg early Friday afternoon and has been charged with "several weapons related offences."

None of the allegations contained in the application has been proven and White is presumed innocent of the seven criminal charges he’s currently facing.

According to Hurley, police began focusing on White after an "officer safety intelligence alert" was distributed on Nov. 13 by the RCMP criminal analytical section in Winnipeg.

"The bulletin advised that White was recently observed to be in possession of a handgun while driving his white coloured 2003 Cadillac Escalade," Hurley wrote. He also made reference to unsubstantiated claims of drug use which "may cause White to behave in an erratic or unpredictable manner."

On Nov. 17, police say they met with a confidential informant "who is well entrenched in various levels of the Manitoba drug and organized subculture." Hurley said "Informant A" doesn’t have a criminal record but had come forward out of financial motivation, hoping to be compensated for the information.

The tipster claimed White had recently fallen on hard times – emotionally and financially – as a result of numerous factors including the end of his professional hockey career due to injury.

Ian White's house was raided by cops last Friday.

"Because of White’s former life as an NHL player, White was paid very well. However, due to his lavish lifestyle, properties owned and other expenses, White can no longer support this lifestyle," Hurley said in the affidavit.

There were again detailed claims made about alleged drug use and how White was "extremely paranoid" recently and would often carry a loaded handgun with him for protection.

Hurley also cited apparent marital issues with White which were cause for concern, along with health and financial problems "that left unchecked will certainly lead to some serious incident that will involve his use of a firearm."

"My goal and intent is to interrupt this cycle or at the very least remove White’s known firearms from his possession and prevent their being used," said Hurley.

Police applied for the search warrants on Nov. 18, then executed them on Nov. 20. Officers raided White’s million-dollar home in south Winnipeg and his Kenora cottage, seizing a total of seven firearms. White was charged with seven criminal offences and spent three nights in custody before being released on bail last Monday.

At White’s home, officers located a registered 9 mm Beretta handgun with nine rounds of ammunition inside, including one in the chamber. The gun was inside a duffel bag at the top of the stairs, just outside the bedroom belonging to his two young children, according to court documents.

An unloaded .380ACP Browning handgun was found inside a backpack in the basement. Both weapons in his home were allegedly being improperly stored.

Following that search, members of the NWEST headed two hours east and executed another warrant at White’s cottage in Kenora. Five more guns were found – an Uberti 1873 revolver, a Beretta CX4 pistol, a Colt AR15 rifle, a loaded Benelli M4 12-gauge shotgun, and a loaded .22 lever action Henry Golden Boy rifle. The weapons were found in various places including a safe and several different rooms.

Police say two of the guns – the Browning handgun and the Colt rifle -- were not registered to White and it’s unknown how or when he obtained them. One of the charges he’s facing relates to unlawful importing of a firearm. The others involve multiple counts of careless use or storage, unauthorized possession and possession in an unauthorized place.

White was born in Steinbach and played a total of 503 games in the National Hockey League. He last appeared with the Detroit Red Wings in 2013. White spent last season playing in the American Hockey League and is currently listed as an unsigned free agent.

In their affidavit to obtain the search warrants, police referred to White’s August 2014 arrest following a "road rage" incident in southern Manitoba near Morris. At the time, a man and woman claimed White had made a series of threatening comments from his vehicle and mentioned having access to guns. RCMP arrested White during a "high-risk" traffic stop and charged him with uttering threats, along with possession of Hydromorphone under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act following a search of him and his vehicle. Hydromorphone is described as a powerful narcotic used to treat pain.

"Regarding the white powdery substance found in his truck, White now claimed that he took the morphine for pain relief as he had an injured back. White advised he ground up his pills and snorted them because the pain relief effect was faster than ingesting," Hurley wrote.

White appeared in Winnipeg provincial court last July to deal with those charges. The Crown agreed to enter a stay of proceedings on the CDSA charge in exchange for White agreeing to forfeit the drugs. They also dropped the uttering threats charge when White agreed to enter into a peace bond, in which he agreed to keep the peace and be of good behaviour and have no contact with the two complainants for a period of 12-months.

White is now charged with breaching that recognizance stemming from the weapons seizure. It’s possible the Crown could also choose to re-instate both the uttering threats and the drug charges following these latest developments.

Sources say the police investigation is ongoing and further charges could be laid. White will make his next court appearance on Dec. 7 in Winnipeg.

www.mikeoncrime.com