News Release
Criminal Charges not Warranted in Relation to U-Haul Truck Collision in White River, and Snowmobile Collision in Wawa
Case Number: 19-PVI-284
On November 25, 2019, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a 911 call reporting that the driver of a U-Haul truck had filled up at a gas station on Highway 17 in White River and left without paying. An officer who was in the area spotted the truck and initiated a brief pursuit, which was terminated soon after. At some point, the U-Haul truck became involved in a collision. The occupants abandoned the truck and fled on a snowmobile. Shortly thereafter, the snowmobile crashed, resulting in serious injuries to a 29-year-old man. The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there is no basis for proceeding with charges against an OPP officer, and the file is closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision):https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations