Inquiry into Native teen's death hears admission

FROM THE ARCHIVE

URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/001968.asp

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

A retired police officer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Friday admitted he was disciplined three decades ago for leaving a man on the outskirts of town.

Bruce Bolton testified before the inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild, 17, a Native teen who was found frozen to death in a remote area of Saskatoon in 1990. Many in the Native community suspect police involvement.

Bolton, a senior sergeant in charge of cases during Stonechild's death, confirmed that he drove an unidentified man to the edge of town "approximately 35 years ago." The man was reported to have been causing trouble at a hospital and would ask police for a ride home. Instead, Bolton admitted that he left the man alone at night.

The unidentified man was not Native, Bolton testified. But even after he was disciplined for his behavior, he told the Stonechild inquiry that he doesn't remember whether the police department instituted any policies to prevent future occurrences.

"I don't recall whether anything changed," he said.

And when asked why he dropped the man off, he couldn't explain. "I've thought about that for a long time," he said. "I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Bolton's disciplinary action was well-known among police officers, according to lawyers and the testimony on Friday. But to the public, it is another stunning revelation in the police department's rocky and racially-charged relationship with the Native community.

In the past 15 years, several Native men have been found dead in Saskatoon. Stonechild, who was Cree, is the youngest documented case. His death was officially ruled an accident by the police.

Stonechild's family and Native leaders have refused to accept the explanation and say there is a history of police brutality against Natives. Their doubts were reinforced when Darrell Night, a Native man, came forward in early 2000 and accused two officers of abandoning him in sub-zero temperature at the edge of town.

The officers, who are white, admitted to the crime and were sentenced to eight months in jail this past March. Their offense was unlawful detainment.

Those who may be responsible for Stonechild's death will not face charges as a result of the ongoing inquiry, which resumes testimony today. The head office of the Public Prosecutions Division in Saskatchewan, which is handling the inquiry, has already determined there is insufficient evidence to charge anyone. The inquiry instead will issue a report and recommendations.

So far, the inquiry has heard testimony that doesn't put the police department in a favorable light. Many notes, documents and other records of the original investigation have gone missing. Former police officers responsible for the handling of the case have acknowledged it was performed shoddily.

"I don't even like to use that word 'racism' but, you know, I think race had a factor -- or was a factor in this investigation," testified Ernie Louttit, a constable, on Thursday. "Given the totality of all that transpired, yeah, I do" think racism was an issue, he said.

The significant witness so far has been Jason Roy, who was with Stonechild the night he went missing. Roy told the inquiry that he last saw his friend in the back of police cruiser, pleading "These guys are going to kill me." Stonechild was found in a field several days later.

Stonechild died with bruises all over his body. The inquiry was shown autopsy photos of the injuries. A coroner testified that the injuries were not life-threatening but the police at the time offered no explanation.

Friends and family testified in the early part of the inquiry. The current and latter part focuses on the police. Several more officers are scheduled to appear this week and the next week. Lawyers from the Saskatchewan Federation of Indian Nations are among those who question the witnesses.

The inquiry commission released transcripts of the proceedings daily. They can be found at http://www.cvreporting.com/StonechildTranscripts.htm.

Relevant Links:
Stonechild Inquiry - http://www.stonechildinquiry.ca
Starlight Tours, from the CBC - http://cbc.ca/national/magazine/starlight/index.html