A police officer says that the reservations are “hostile”

Photo archive, Amélie St-Yves
Nicolas Scholtus Champagne and Patrick Boulianne
Police

Amélie St-Yves

Tuesday, 17 October 2017 23:03

UPDATE
Tuesday, 17 October 2017 23:03

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THREE-RIVERS | A police officer accused of having arrested and illegally detained a man, having shot his dog, called native reserves ” hostile “, and says that this sometimes requires interventions to be more muscular than in the city.

Called to defend himself before the ethics police, the man who worked in the police Odanak, Nicolas Scholtus-Champagne, recalled the ubiquitous presence of firearms among the Natives, many of whom are hunters. He also emphasized on the consumption of drugs and poverty, which is complicated by the intervention of police to justify the arrest muscled, and the fact that he shot a dog.

“For example, if an individual puts his hands in his pockets, I will have less tolerance than if I was working in the city “, he admitted on Tuesday.

Assault with a weapon

To 4 p.m., June 30, 2013 in the morning, Scholtus-Champagne is said to have had the information of the Sûreté du Québec that the suspect of an assault baseball bat was Edward Coughlin, Odanak, a native reserve in the Centre-du-Québec.

Since he could not reach his supervisor, he was awakened by his roommate, police officer Patrick Boulianne, to come and assist him while he was at the residence of the suspect.

The two officers are now accused by the police ethics commission to have used their firearms in a careless way, had been arrested and illegally detained Edward Coughlin, did not read her rights nor told him why it was intercepted.

Photo archive, Amélie St-Yves

Edward Coughlin thinks that if his dog Willy was not a pitbull, he would have died.

Dog

Scholtus-Champagne admits having drawn his gun and have it held at the height of the chest while they were banging on the door. Edward Coughlin was not met and the barking of a large dog made communication almost impossible.

“I took my most stern voice and I said to him :” Edward Coughlin, go outside with their hands in the air and let your dog inside. If you do leave your dog, I shoot'”, he told before the administrative court.

A dog named Willy, a cross between a labrador and a pitbull about 70 pounds, then went out of the house for the attack, according to the police officer.

Error on the person

Scholtus-Champagne shot three times to the dog, but do not know how many balls have achieved it. The animal is returned to the house in lamenting, while Edward Coughlin was cuffed, kneeling, shirtless, and “feet down”, and then it was brought to the station.”

The dog ultimately survived.

However, this arrest is a result of bad communication between the Sûreté du Québec and the police force of the Abenaki, according to Nicolas Scholtus-Champagne. The two police officers brought the suspect to his home.

Coughlin has never been accused in the case of assault, not more than what he has been accused of armed aggression towards the police.

It has brought a civil suit for an amount of 37 109,75 $. The cause has still not been resolved.

Nicolas Scholtus-Champagne-and-Patrick Boulianne are now working both at service de police de Saint-Jérôme.

The hearing by the police ethics commission of the two officers should continue throughout the week.