The trial of Michael and Christian Theriault may be over but there are still aspects to what occurred in December 2016 that need to be addressed.
Michael Theriault, an off duty Toronto police officer, beat Dafonte Miller so badly the young man lost an eye and suffered other serious injuries.
Theriault’s brother Christian, who was with him, was cleared of all charges while Michael was found guilty of assault.
During the trial, Cst. Barbara Zabdyr, a Durham police officer who was one of the first on-scene, stunned the public when she admitted she handed her handcuffs to Michael Theriault and allowed him to place Miller under arrest and search him.
Our newsroom followed up with Durham Police after her testimony in early November and were told that because the matter was still before the court, no comment could be given.
Now that a verdict has been delivered our newsroom followed up, again, and this time was told that if any action was taken it is an internal matter and doesn’t meet the threshold to release publicly.
Experts suggest this likely means Cst. Zabdyr did not face any disciplinary charges because under the Police Services Act, those charges would need to be disclosed.
Was Cst. Zabdyr ordered to undergo a training refresher or, perhaps, receive a written reprimand, instead? We don’t know. Our newsroom has left several messages with Police Chief Paul Martin and have yet to hear back.