The Director of the Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer in relation to a January 2016 interaction with a 61-year-old man.
Police were called to a Sault Ste. Marie residence on Jan. 12, 2016 regarding an altercation between the complainant and the homeowner. According to the director’s report, the complainant had been consuming alcohol and “began threatening and continuously yelling obscenities at both police officers, and attempted to reach for a tin on the kitchen counter top that contained knives and forks.”
It was at this time that attending officers “grabbed the complainant and escorted him outside. While descending the steps at the rear of the residence, the complainant fell, landing on the concrete pad at the bottom of the steps.” A Jan. 16 medical examination determined the complainant had suffered three broken ribs in the incident.
The complainant claimed the officers had pushed him down the stairs, while attending officers stated he slipped and fell.
The full director’s report was delivered to the Attorney General, as is required by law under the Police Services Act. The Attorney General has directed that the document be posted online. It can be found here.
The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Under the Police Services Act, the Director of the SIU must:
• consider whether an officer has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
• depending on the evidence, lay a criminal charge against the officer if appropriate or close the file without any charges being laid
• report the results of any investigations to the Attorney General
