News Release
SIU Terminates Investigation into Man’s Dog Bite Injury During Arrest in Trent Hills
Case Number: 23-OCI-017
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Joseph Martino, has terminated an investigation into the serious injury suffered by a 40-year-old man during his arrest in Trent Hills last month.
Based on the SIU’s preliminary inquiries, on January 12, 2023, Ontario Provincial Police and Peterborough Police Service officers went to the man’s home to execute a warrant for his arrest. The officers’ emergency lights and the loud banging at the door agitated his dogs, causing one of them to bite the man’s right hand. The bite damaged blood vessels, requiring surgery to repair. The man surrendered to police after the injury, and was reportedly arrested without incident. On this record, there was patently nothing to investigate as far as the potential criminal liability of any police officer and 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
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Monica Hudon, siu.media@ontario.ca
SIU Communications/Service des communications, UES