Starlight tour claims untrue

Thursday March 21, 2013

Allegations of a starlight tour made by a First Nations youth against members of the Thunder Bay police have turned out to be untrue.

The 19-year-old male had alleged that on the night of Dec. 2, 2012, he was dropped off on the outskirts of Thunder Bay and left to walk back to his residence in the city.

After an investigation, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have determined that the allegations were unfounded.

OPP reported that the 19 year old admitted to investigators that he had fabricated the story of having contact with Thunder Bay police officers and being given a ride out of town.

According the Thunder Bay police service, the male has provided the Thunder Bay Police Service with a written apology.

“In that apology, the complainant stated the he was “most sincerely sorry for the accusation made against a police officer”. He also apologized to the families and children of our officers for having made this accusation.”

The OPP investigation included interviews with potential witnesses, examination of Thunder Bay police vehicle GPS records, commercial surveillance videos and other relative evidence.

While the Thunder Bay Police stated that it will not be pursuing charges of public mischief against the man, it noted that in cases leading to a false investigation a charge of mischief can apply.