Abbotsford/Surrey – FEBRUARY 2024 UPDATE – Black Press reports that Charges have been stayed against an Abbotsford Police dog handler who was involved in the arrest of a suspect in 2020.
This according to the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS):
Const. Simon Courtoreille had been charged in October 2022 with assault causing bodily harm.
According to the BCPS, the charge stemmed from an incident on July 12, 2020 in which police were called to the scene of a domestic assault where the suspect was high on drugs and had barricaded himself in a bedroom with his three-year-old son.
FEBRUARY 2021 ORIGINAL STORY – The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC has filed a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges regarding IIO file 2020-164.
As described in a previous media release, on July 12, 2020 at approximately 11:00 a.m., Abbotsford Police Department officers responded to a complaint regarding a man reported to be barricaded with a child at a residence in the 2000-block of Center Street. During the interaction, a police dog and RCMP officer from the Integrated Police Dog Service were used to assist in taking the man into custody. The man sustained serious but not life-threatening dog bite injuries and was taken to a local area hospital for treatment.
Upon completion of the investigation, Chief Civilian Director Ronald J. MacDonald, QC, reviewed the evidence and determined that reasonable grounds exist to believe that an officer may have committed offences in relation to the use of a police service dog during the arrest. As a result, and pursuant to Section 38.11 of the Police Act, the IIO has forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges.
In order to approve any charges, the BC Prosecution Service must be satisfied that there is substantial likelihood of conviction based on the evidence gathered by the IIO, and that prosecution be required in the public interest.
While the matter is with Crown, the IIO will not be making any additional comment about the facts of this case.
