A Clinton RCMP officer will not face charges in connection with an arrest last February in which a suspect suffered dog bite injuries.
Ronald J. MacDonald, chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), said in a report issued Feb. 12 that he did not consider there were reasonable grounds to believe that the officer committed an offence during the arrest last year.
The situation arose at 5:13 p.m. Feb. 23, 2020, when the Clinton RCMP attempted to stop a truck on Highway 97 near 70 Mile House to investigate a report of alleged impaired driving. As the officer approached the vehicle, she saw three people inside. The driver then took off northbound on the highway.
The officer followed for a short distance before requesting backup from 100 Mile RCMP. She encountered the truck a second time on a different road but the driver again drove away after seeing her flashing lights. She then asked for an officer with a police service dog to assist.
The suspect was located under the porch in an unoccupied home after being spotted on a security camera. When the suspect refused to leave the space, the police dog was deployed, grabbing the suspect’s arm. He was taken into custody with dog bites to his arm and hand that required surgery.
MacDonald said it would have been risky for the officer to enter the unknown space under the porch to arrest the suspect. “In these circumstances, all officers were acting lawfully, in execution of their duties when they responded to a public complaint of impaired driving which evolved into an arrest.”
“Had (the suspect) complied with demands to exit the space under the porch, as did the female who accompanied him, it is reasonable to expect he would have been arrested without injury.”
@ksinoski
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.