The Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared Chatham-Kent police officers of any criminal offences after a suspect began vomiting uncontrollably in a holding cell and was taken to the hospital.
SIU Director Joseph Martino determined there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any officer committed a criminal offence in connection with the investigation.
A 34-year-old Chatham man was arrested during a traffic stop on November 26, 2025. Police alleged the man was involved in drug trafficking. The SIU alleged officers confiscated crack cocaine and fentanyl found on him during his arrest and searched him again before putting him in the cell.
He was taken to the hospital in Chatham after he began vomiting in his holding cell. According to the SIU, it was determined at the hospital that the man was experiencing symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
SIU Director Martino said the officers conducted themselves appropriately while the suspect was in custody, regularly monitoring him and providing him medical attention soon after the vomiting.
"The Complainant appeared sluggish and unsteady, and there was reason to believe he was feeling the effects of an illicit substance, but there was nothing in his presentation to suggest he required immediate medical attention," said Martino.
Martino also noted there is evidence that the suspect might have accessed and ingested drugs in the holding cell that he had secretly stuffed in his briefs, and questions if a strip search may have been in order, given the suspect's appearance and the nature of the alleged crime that got him arrested.
The SIU director said he will also be asking Chatham-Kent police to review a possible policy violation by one of the officers for allegedly not conducting physical checks of prisoners every 30 minutes, as required.
That matter will also be referred to the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency, according to Martino.
