Police watchdog dispatched to Vernon for an in-custody incident

VERNON – B.C.'s police watchdog was dispatched to Vernon Friday night for an incident that happened a day earlier.

The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. was notified by Vernon RCMP on July 2 that a woman had been arrested the previous day and had been held in cells overnight prior to a court appearance. The woman spoke with RCMP officers and sheriffs late morning while in a cell in preparation for court.

Shortly after that, according to an IIO release, the woman was seen to be in medical distress in the cell. Emergency Health Services was called and the individual was transported to hospital, where they remain with a yet to be established cause.

There is no information on the current condition of the woman.

The IIO is deploying investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and continue to monitor the medical situation.

The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of the police in British Columbia. It investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.

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