News Release
SIU Concludes Investigation into Kingston Death
Case Number: 10-OCD-167
Other News Releases Related to Case 10-OCD-167
The SIU assigned three investigators and two forensic investigators to probe the circumstances of this incident. The SIU designated two officers as subject officers and two officers as witness officers. Ten civilian witnesses were interviewed.
The SIU investigation determined that on August 14, 2010 at 5:07 p.m. the KPS received a number of calls about the way a vehicle was being driven in the area of Collins Bay Road and Taylor Kidd Boulevard in Kingston. Officers were dispatched to the area and at 5:30 p.m. they located the vehicle on the shoulder of the roadway at Bath Road and Coronation Road. The driver, 54-year-old Ronald Bolton, was found to be in medical distress. An ambulance arrived and transported him to Kingston General Hospital for treatment. Mr. Bolton passed away in the hospital as a result of a heart attack at 10:26 p.m.
Director Scott said, “In my view, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the subject officers committed a criminal offence in relation to the death of Mr. Bolton. Mr. Bolton was found in a distressed state in his motor vehicle. One subject officer assisted in having Mr. Bolton transported to the hospital. At the hospital the two subject officers assisted Mr. Bolton down a hallway, but Mr. Bolton collapsed. There is nothing in the investigation to suggest that the subject officers were in any way responsible for his death.”
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