News Release
OPP Officer Charged in Relation to Arrest of Woman in North Grenville
Case Number: 16-PCI-286
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has reasonable grounds to believe an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer with the Kemptville detachment committed a criminal offence in relation to the arrest of a woman in November of 2016. Director Loparco has caused a charge to be laid against the officer.
The SIU investigation found the following:
- In the early morning hours of Monday, November 14, 2016, officers were dispatched to a residence in North Grenville after 911 received a call. The officers spoke with a 53-year-old woman who lived in the residence, and then left.
- The officers returned to the woman’s home a short time later. There was an interaction between the officers and the woman, and she was subsequently arrested.
As a result of the SIU investigation, 36-year-old OPP Constable Thomas Hogbin is facing one count of assault, contrary to s. 266 of the Criminal Code.
The officer is required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at 41 Court House Square in Brockville on March 10, 2017.
The matter is now properly before the courts. In consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused, the SIU will make no further comment pertaining to this investigation.
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