DRYDEN, Ont. - Dryden officers will not be disciplined following a probe by the Special Investigations Unit into injuries sustained by a 27-year-old man during an arrest last February.
The SIU director, Tony Loparco, found no grounds for discipline following an investigation into an incident that took place on Feb. 3, 2018 during a traffic stop on Highway 17 in the city of Dryden.
According to the SIU’s report, an officer with the OPP Dryden detachment noticed a black vehicle cross the centre line on Highway 17 before pulling into a local restaurant driveway.
The officer observed the driver of the vehicle, who was the complainant in the probe, and the passenger switch seats. The driver was arrested for obstructing a police officer.
The SIU report stated the driver resisted the arresting officer and attempted to “gain control of him.” A retired OPP officer who happened to be on the scene, assisted the arresting officer and the driver was handcuffed and transported to the Dryden detachment.
The driver remained uncooperative with other officers at the detachment where members of the OPP, the Dryden Police Service, and Treaty Three Police Service were present and he was physically moved to the lodging area, had his clothes removed, with the exception of his underwear, and given a cell gown to wear.
“The Complainant was later found to be unresponsive in the cell, and a dose of Narcan was administered, following which the Complainant was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed as having a broken left foot,” the SIU report reads.
A toxicology report found that the driver had alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamines, and amphetamines in his system. A methamphetamine pipe was also found in the car and methamphetamine powder was found on the passenger.
It was determined that the injury was sustained in the lodging area of the Dryden detachment, however, the complainant already had two existing fractures on that foot.
“It is further clear that the Complainant tended to resort to kicking when dealing with the police officer,” the SIU report states. “Again, I find that WO #4 (witness officer #4) did not intentionally grab the Complainant’s foot as a method of inflicting pain or force upon the Complainant, but simply to prevent his kicking out.”
Video evidence from the OPP Dryden detachment was made available and reviewed by Loparco as part of his investigation.
“Having fully considered all of the evidence in this matter, and having made findings of fact as based on the reliable and credible evidence before me, I find that the remaining evidence does not satisfy me that there are reasonable grounds to believe that either of the SO (Subject Officer with Dryden Police Service) or WO #4, or indeed any police officer who dealt with the Complainant on February 3, 2018, resorted to an excessive use of force,” Loparco concluded.
“As such, as I lack the bases for the laying of criminal charges, none shall issue.”
The SIU is called in to investigate when an individual suffers death, serious injury, or allegations of sexual assault during interactions with a police service.
