News Release
SIU Discontinues Investigation into Man’s Arrest at Barrie Drug Store, and his Subsequent Hospitalization
Case Number: 22-OCI-104
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the arrest last month of a 23-year-old man and his subsequent hospitalization for treatment of a drug overdose.
On April 6, 2022, the man broke into a drug store on Essa Road in Barrie. As a result of the Barrie Police Service being alerted, officers responded. They located the man in the basement of the business and arrested him. Shortly after his arrest, the man admitted to taking sedatives. Paramedics were called and took him to hospital where he was diagnosed with a drug overdose.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, which included a review of video footage, Director Martino found it was plain and obvious that there was manifestly nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer was concerned regarding the man’s drug overdose. The officers neither did, or failed to do, anything that caused or contributed to the man’s condition. The file has been 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
Lisez ce communiqué en français.
Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES