News Release
Officer’s Conduct was Lawful in Orillia Arrest; No Charges to Issue
Case Number: 23-PCI-168
On May 4, 2023, a woman attended the OPP Orillia detachment to provide a statement detailing an assault that had been perpetrated on her by a man earlier that day. When officers drove her back to her residence, one of the officers remained in the vicinity in the event the man returned. The 33-year-old man lived at the residence but had left following the assault. The officer watched as the man re-entered the ground-floor apartment. Once other officers arrived, they entered the residence. The man pushed one of the officers. An interaction ensued, and the man was eventually subdued and handcuffed. At hospital, the man was diagnosed with fractures of the nose and right orbital bone. On his assessment of the evidence, SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the man’s arrest and injury. There was no basis for proceeding with criminal charges in this case, and the file has been closed.
Full Director’s Report (with Incident Narrative, Evidence, and Analysis & Director’s Decision): https://www.siu.on.ca/en/directors_reports.php.
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