Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit says they’ve terminated an investigation into a broken ankle suffered by a 42-year-old man who had been arrested in Kenora, finding no wrongdoing from officers.
Director of the SIU, Joseph Martino, explains in his report that the SIU was contacted about the injuries by the OPP on March 1, after the man was released from custody on February 7.
Treaty Three Police officers arrested the man for public intoxication and took him to a cell a the Kenora OPP detachment. The next day, the man went to the hospital where his left ankle fractures were diagnosed.
Martino says their investigation found that the man’s injuries were caused after he slipped and fell on ice near Canadian Tire on Highway 17, which happened before his arrest.
Although, the SIU’s report notes that the civilian custodians who were responsible for the man’s care in the detachment may not have paid enough attention to his injuries, the SIU’s mandate or jurisdiction only extends to police officers – not civilian positions.
As a result, the SIU says the case has been closed.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.