News Release
SIU Discontinues Napanee Investigation
Case Number: 21-PCI-070
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the arrest of a 45-year-old man that occurred in September of 2020 in Napanee. The man notified the SIU of the interaction on March 4, 2021.
On September 23, 2020, Ontario Provincial Police officers attended the man’s workplace and attempted to apprehend the man. The man fled and made his way to an apartment on Dundas Street, where he was ultimately taken into custody. The man alleged that he sustained fractures as a result of the interaction, thus the SIU invoking its mandate.
Director Martino said, “Based on the SIU preliminary inquiries, I am satisfied that the SIU is without statutory jurisdiction to continue with an investigation of this matter. Though the man claims that he sustained fractures in the course of the incident, his medical records confirm that his injures were limited to soft tissue injuries. As the man’s injuries do not amount to “serious injuries” within the terms of the SIU’s mandate, the investigation is hereby discontinued and the file is closed.”
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