The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) found no wrongdoing by Saugeen Shores Police officers that responded to a wellness check in November that left one man with a fractured hand.
According to the SIU report, on November 9, 2024, police and paramedics responded to a wellness check of a man in a Port Elgin residence, who had consumed a quantity of drugs and alcohol.
When no one answered the door, the officers and paramedics entered the residence and found the man passed out in the kitchen. The man's young children were reportedly upstairs.
He was roused and sat in a chair, at which point paramedics assessed his oxygen levels and found them to be low.
The SIU said one officer decided to apprehend the Complainant under the Mental Health Act, as they were concerned with his ability to care for himself. The man objected to his arrest and resisted being handcuffed by clenching his arms against his chest.
He was eventually wrestled to the ground and secured in handcuffs. He was taken to hospital, and only weeks later, on a return trip, was it discovered that the man's hand was fractured.
SIU Director Joseph Martino said that officers used reasonable force, and there was no grounds for charges.
"In the result, while it might be that the Complainant’s fractured hand was incurred in the altercation that marked his arrest, I am unable to reasonably conclude that it was attributable to any unlawful conduct on the part of the arresting officers," wrote Martino.
