Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
911 call mishandled in sex assault case
Dustin Paxton.
CALGARY — A communications officer at Calgary’s 911 centre didn’t properly handle a call about the suspect accused of assaulting and confining his roommate for months, an investigation has determined.
Officials at the Public Safety Communications Centre said an officer didn’t pursue allegations a caller made about Dustin Paxton during a sevenminute 911 call on Feb. 28.
"There were some things that weren’t followed up on," said Steve Dongworth, superintendent of the centre.
Paxton, 30, is accused of beating, confining and sexually assaulting his 26-year-old male roommate over a two-year period in Calgary and Regina.
The case came to light in April, when the victim was dropped off at a Regina hospital, barely alive. He suffered brain damage and burns and part of his lower lip and tongue were missing.
During a Calgary police investigation into the case, authorities learned a man called 911 about Paxton on Feb. 28 — six weeks earlier.
Sources told the Calgary Herald last week the emergency call was made by a man who initially alleged Paxton threatened to beat him up.
Sources also said the caller alleged Paxton had previously beaten a coworker — the male victim — but didn’t say anything indicating the man was still in any danger.
Police were not dispatched.
Dongworth confirmed the caller didn’t indicate anyone was in danger, but said the officer should have asked more questions.
Despite that conclusion, Dongworth said it’s impossible to know whether handling the call differently would have led police to the victim six weeks sooner. "It cannot be determined if there would have been a different outcome had those questions been asked," he said.
Dongworth said the communications officer faced "internal corrective measures" for not following protocol, but said employee confidentiality prevented him from specifying what sanctions were meted out.
The police investigation into the case has since produced a second complainant: a young girl who said she was beaten and confined during the same time span as the male complainant.
The girl never reported the allegations to police.
The first victim, who is the father of an eight-year-old daughter, is in Victoria recovering with his family.
The 911 centre changed some of its procedures earlier this year, after questions were raised about how it handled 911 calls connected to two homicide cases.
Deputy Calgary police Chief Trevor Daroux said people expect authorities to respond when they call for help.
"It’s important when the public reaches out to the police, that they are able to get in contact with the police," he said. "In this case, we didn’t satisfy the expectation the public has, and that concerns me."
Paxton is currently undergoing a 30-day psychiatric assessment following an appearance in a Calgary court on Friday.
— Postmedia News
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