News Release
No Charges to Issue in Relation to Orangeville Case
Case Number: 19-OCI-126
In the early morning hours of June 2, 2019, a 36-year-old woman was arrested and transported to the Orangeville Police Service (OPS) headquarter where she was lodged in a cell. While in the cell, the woman ingested cocaine and fell into medical distress. Paramedics attended the police station and transported her to hospital where she was placed on life support. While SIU Director Joseph Martino says the woman ought to have been subjected to a more thorough search and medical attention secured sooner than it was after she ingested cocaine in her cell, he is unable to reasonably conclude that any of the officers who dealt with the woman transgressed the limits of care prescribed by the criminal law.
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