London

SIU clears St. Thomas police in teen's arrest

The watchdog agency for Ontario's law-enforcement community has ended an investigation involving St. Thomas police.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has determined that no charges are necessary against an officer in connection with a serious injury suffered by a 14-year-old girl during an incident on June 26, 2019.

According to the report, the teen was injured while being apprehended at the request of Child and Family Services. The girl was reported missing that afternoon but was found by police to return the teen to her CFS caseworker.

The teen physically assaulted the officer and tried to flee, the report indicated. During the struggle to place the girl in the cruiser, the officer somehow landed on top of her. Soon after arriving at the police station, the girl complained of shoulder pain. She was taken to a hospital and later diagnosed with a fractured collarbone.

SIU interim director Joseph Martino concluded that no grounds were present to charge the officer with a crime.

"On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the [officer] committed a criminal offence in connection with the complainant’s arrest and injury," wrote Martino.

The complete report can be found on the SIU's official website.

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