NEWS RELEASE
SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
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The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Joseph Martino, has found no reasonable grounds to believe that an Orillia Ontario Provincial Police officer committed a criminal offence in connection with a broken right ankle suffered by a 34-year-old woman in May.
In the early hours of May 29, 2022, officers responded to a 911 call about a man slumped over the steering wheel of an SUV parked off Grace Avenue. Officers spoke to the man and a woman who were standing outside the SUV.
The man and woman lied about their names, and the officers attempted to arrest them. The man fled on foot and was caught by an officer. Their dog followed and attacked the officer before it was shot dead.
The woman was located at a nearby residence and arrested by officers. During the arrest, the woman was pulled to the ground when she pushed and pulled at the officers attempting to release their hold.
Thereafter, the officer delivered two or three knee strikes to the woman’s torso as she resisted on the ground, after which she was secured in handcuffs. Following her arrest, the woman was transported to hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured right ankle.
Director Martino found no reasonable grounds to believe that the officer comported himself other than lawfully in his dealings with the woman, leaving no basis for proceeding with criminal charges against him. The file has been closed.
Click here to read the full Director’s Report (with incident narrative, evidence, and analysis and director’s decision.
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
