The province’s police oversight agency has closed an investigation into a Chatham-Kent police officer’s actions after a woman suffered a spinal injury while in custody.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said officers with the Chatham-Kent Police Service were called to the area of Keil Drive South and Richmond Street in Chatham on August 24, 2025, for a report of an assault. As police arrived, tempers were flaring between a group of people in a parking lot, and the officers intervened to keep the parties separated.
During this time, a 38-year-old woman approached an officer from behind and attempted to push him. She was then escorted by the arm away from the group and arrested for obstruction of justice. She was later released unconditionally at the scene.
At the time of the incident, the woman was still recovering from spinal surgery that had taken place the month prior. She was later diagnosed with “a disc excursion” as a result of the arrest and underwent additional surgery for the condition.
A complaint about the arrest was filed on February 17, 2026, and the SIU invoked its mandate to investigate on March 2, 2026.
Following the investigation, which included reviewing police body cam footage of the incident, the SIU said the woman was lawfully arrested and that the arresting officer used reasonable force to take her into custody. As a result, the SIU has determined that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the arresting officer committed a criminal offence, and the investigation has been terminated.
The SIU is a civilian law enforcement agency in Ontario that investigates any incident involving police that has resulted in death, serious injury, the discharge of a firearm, or allegations of sexual assault.
