Province's SIU clears OPP officer after man's death following police dog bite
The province's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has cleared an OPP officer of any wrongdoing in connection to the death of a Midland man in November 2023.
The SIU was called in to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Dale Lewis. The 45-year-old died in hospital on Nov. 5, nearly one month after being bit by a police dog during an arrest.
- Download the CTV News app free to get local news alerts
- Don't miss breaking news - Sign up for the CTV Newsletter
The incident took place on Oct. 13. Officers negotiated with Lewis, who was barricaded inside a Midland apartment, for nearly nine hours.
According to the report by the SIU, the police dog was deployed after negotiations were proving futile around the five-hour mark. The dog bit and held the man, allowing police to place him under arrest, an action the SIU report deemed as necessary force.
SIU Director Joseph Martino said it remains unclear whether the dog bite and subsequent infection were related in any way to the man's death. However, the report says the exact cause of Lewis' death is still not known.
CTV News Public Safety Analyst and former OPP commissioner Chris Lewis had suggested to CTV News in November 2023 that he found the SIU's involvement in the case puzzling.
"Certainly, police K9 units have bitten people and injured them over the years; that kind of comes with the turf, but someone actually dying as a result of that is a very rare occurrence," Lewis said in November.
The SIU is called in anytime police are involved in an incident that results in death, serious injury, sexual assault or the discharge of a weapon at another person.
With files from CTV's Mike Arsalides & CTV's Kim Phillips.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.