SIU charge OPP officer after crash in pursuit

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – A dangerous driving charge has been laid against an OPP officer after a probe by the province’s Special Investigations Unit.

SIU director Ian Scott says he has reasonable grounds to believe the officer committed a criminal offence in relation to injuries sustained by a 26-year-old man earlier this year.

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The SIU says OPP officers were conducting an impaired driver spot check on March 3 in Markdale, Ont., about 100 km west of Barrie, when a snowmobile driver caught their attention and an officer pursued him in a police car.

The officer then collided with the snowmobile, whose driver suffered severe injuries as a result of the crash, including a fractured upper sternum and partially collapsed lungs.

OPP Constable James Hunter is facing one charge of dangerous driving and is set to appear in court Sept. 9.

The SIU is an arm’s length agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault.