News Release
No Charges Against OPP Officer After Incident in Cells at Napanee Detachment
Case Number: 20-PCI-311
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that an Ontario Provincial Police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the facial fracture suffered by a 37-year-old man in 2020.
On November 17, 2020, the man was seen removing a package from his pocket and ingesting a substance through his nose while he was in a cell at the Lennox and Addington County Detachment. The man did not comply when an officer directed him to not place his hands in his pockets. The officer then conducted a takedown of the man, who was later diagnosed with a left-sided facial fracture.
Director Martino found insufficient evidence to reasonably conclude that the officer acted with excessive force in the circumstances. He acknowledged the force was significant, but the officer was within their rights to act quickly as the man was at risk of self-harm from the ingestion of drugs. Accordingly, the file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://siu.on.ca/en/directors_report_details.php?drid=1660
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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Kristy Denette, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES