On AFL Grand Final weekend in September 2003, Hodson and off-duty Miechel were arrested for burglary on a house in Oakleigh East being used to store approximately $1.3 million in ecstasy pills by criminals and which was soon to be raided by the Drug Squad.
[2] As well as previously representing the owner of house burgled, Nicola Gobbo was due to defended Hodson on the burglary charges.
[6] Within 48 hours, Hodson's sensitive blue file, which described the evidence he had given to the Drug Squad as an informant on criminals, was stolen from police headquarters.
[citation needed] Hodson's blue file was leaked and circulated around the Melbourne underworld with Ethical Standard detectives suspecting Dale.
[3] Ethical Standard detectives recommended that Hodson and his family enter the Witness Protection Program due to the high risk to his safety.
The murder was investigated by Charlie Bezzina and the Homicide Squad despite the Ethical Standards detectives requesting a dedicated task force.
After a significant crown witness in the case Carl Williams was beaten to death in prison in April 2010, the charges against both men were dropped.