Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has cleared Ontario Provincial Police officers following an arrest in Amherstview that left a 39-year-old man injured last year.
In a report released Friday, SIU Director Joseph Martino found there were no reasonable grounds to believe officers committed a criminal offence during the Nov. 12, 2025 arrest.
Lennox and Addington County OPP responded to reports of an unwanted and intoxicated person causing a disturbance shortly after 8 p.m. Family members had reportedly contacted police after the man, who had recently separated from his partner, tried to stay at their home.
According to the SIU, officers later located the man at Dinosaur Park and attempted to arrest him for public intoxication. The report stated the man resisted arrest, leading to a struggle on the ground.
The SIU said one officer struck the man several times before officers secured him in handcuffs.
Days later, the man attended hospital and was diagnosed with a broken nose and a possible fractured hyoid bone.
Martino concluded the officers were legally justified in arresting the man and that the force used during the struggle was not excessive.
