OPP officer not at fault in death of a man held in Rockwood cell: SIU
Posted Apr 1, 2025 09:44:30 AM.
Last Updated Apr 1, 2025 12:35:28 PM.
After months of investigating, an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will not face criminal charges after a man died while in police custody last July.
The incident began on July 9 when a 36-year-old man was arrested in Arthur in relation to a domestic violence incident.
On July 10, he was moved to a cell in Rockwood, where he was shivering and throwing up, but allegedly told officers he was suffering from drug withdrawal and reportedly declined medical attention.
That same morning at around 11 a.m., he was taken to Guelph General Hospital, allegedly in “medical distress.”
Emergency Medical Services allegedly found the man seizing in the cell, and reported he had overdosed earlier on fentanyl and meth.
The man was pronounced dead a short time after arriving at the hospital.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) reviewed video footage from the OPP, medical services, interviewed more than a dozen people involved, and reviewed a catalogue of forensic evidence.
The SIU concluded that the OPP sergeant of the detachment showed “due care and regard” for the man’s health and wellbeing while he was in custody, and is not at fault for the incident.
The file is now closed, and no criminal charges are being laid at this time.
