News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Arrest of Woman in Barrie Operating Vehicle Reported as Stolen
Case Number: 19-OCI-111
At about 12:40 a.m. on May 18, 2019, two Barrie Police Service officers were on patrol in a marked cruiser when they noticed a black pickup truck that matched the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen. The truck had pulled into a parking lot. The officers exited the cruiser, walked towards the vehicle and advised the 31-year-old woman driver that she was under arrest. The driver accelerated forward and struck the wall and front entrance of a church. The woman was arrested. The Interim Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges in relation to the fractured right hand the woman sustained.
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