News Release
Ontario Provincial Police Officer Charged
Case Number: 14-PVI-253
The Director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), Tony Loparco, has reasonable grounds to believe that an officer with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Lakeshore Detachment, committed a criminal offence in relation to the vehicle injuries sustained by a 20-year-old man earlier this year. Director Loparco has caused a charge to be laid against the officer.
The incident occurred on October 24, 2014. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., an officer in an OPP cruiser travelling on County Road 42 in St. Joachim collided with a civilian vehicle at the intersection of northbound County Road 31. As a result of the collision, the driver of the civilian vehicle sustained serious injuries.
As a result of the SIU investigation, OPP Constable Jamie Porto is facing one charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, contrary to s. 249(3) of the Criminal Code of Canada.
The officer is required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at 200 Chatham Street East in Windsor on January 22, 2015. The Justice Prosecutions branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General will have carriage of the prosecution.
As this matter is now before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the charged officer and the community, the SIU will make no further comment pertaining to this investigation.
The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of officials (police officers as well as special constables with the Niagara Parks Commission and peace officers with the Legislative Protective Service) that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person. All investigations are conducted by SIU investigators who are civilians. Under the Special Investigations Unit Act, the Director of the SIU must
- consider whether the official has committed a criminal offence in connection with the incident under investigation
- depending on the evidence, cause a criminal charge to be laid against the official where grounds exist for doing so, or close the file without any charges being laid
- publicly report the results of its investigations