Ontario’s police watchdog has found no reasonable grounds to believe any OPP officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the May death of a 28-year-old man who suffered a medical crisis while in police custody in Cobourg.
In a report released Sept. 18, Special Investigations Unit director Joseph Martino concluded the officers involved acted with due care for the man’s health and well-being.
The man was arrested May 24 after a family member requested a welfare check in Cramahe Township. He had visible facial injuries and told officers he had suffered a seizure. He was also found to be violating a release order.
Paramedics later learned he had used cocaine the previous night and warned of the risk of another seizure. He was taken to Northumberland Hills Hospital, where a CT scan was performed. He was medically cleared, prescribed two medications and returned to police custody.
The man was taken to the Cobourg OPP detachment and placed in a cell shortly before midnight to await a bail hearing. Searches conducted by police found no contraband.
(Richard Evans)
