'That is not the Corey that I know': Character witnesses speak at disgraced Guelph Police officer's penalty hearing

The penalty hearing for Guelph Police constable Corey McArthur has heard from two character witnesses, both supporting an eventual return to policing for the officer who has admitted to assaulting a teen who was handcuffed to a hospital bed.

“There was never a time when he was not professional,” Det.-Const. Mary-Ellen McEwen testified about McArthur’s interactions with members of the public. “He was kind.”

McEwen says she and McArthur worked on the same platoon at the Guelph Police Service, though in different zones, for about a three-and-a-half year period between August 2004 and June 2008. She says though they typically would not answer calls for service together, during that time they would have attended what she estimates as “a couple hundred” calls together.

At the time McEwen was a young officer, she says she learned a lot from McArthur, describing him as quiet and always there to teach or help. She says she never witnessed aggressive behaviour from him or excessive use of force during calls.

Guilty plea

McArthur has pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct in relation to an assault that took place in September 2016. McArthur was at Guelph General Hospital on a call when another officer asked him to help with a teen who had been brought in, acting erratically and threatening self-harm.

McArthur was kneed in the chest or stomach by the teen who was handcuffed to a hospital bed; McArthur responded by elbowing the teen.

An agreed statement of facts read at the start of the hearing says that McArthur’s actions either caused or aggravated a previous injury that left the teen with a 3.5 cm. cut under his eye that required stitches.

The incident was captured on hospital surveillance cameras and reported to police by Guelph General staff. McArthur pleaded guilty to assault in court in September 2018.

'Not the Corey that I know'

McArthur had also been found guilty of assault in 2010, in connection with an arrest outside a Guelph bar. He received an absolute discharge by the judge in that case.

“These incidents with Corey are concerning, and I do acknowledge them. However, that being said, that is not the Corey that I know,” McEwen testified.

McEwen says after many years of not working with McArthur, she developed a friendship with him starting in September 2020, when their daughters began playing on the same rep hockey team.

McEwen says McArthur has never shown any aggression at the games, noting that other parents of players can get ‘heated’ at times.

“He is a very loving, devoted spouse and father. And that’s the Corey that I know.”

'He's battled hard with his own journey'

When it comes to his future as a police officer in Guelph, “I would welcome Corey back for sure,” McEwen said.

In cross-examination, the Guelph Police Service’s lawyer Jessica Barrow asked McEwen if excessive use of force breaches the public trust in police. McEwen agreed.

McArthur’s legal team has argued the constable was suffering from untreated, undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the assault, largely stemming from the death of his colleague Const. Jennifer Kovach in 2013. The Guelph Police Service’s position is the appropriate penalty for his actions is dismissal.

The second character witness called by the defense was Bryan Stevens, a former paramedic who now runs a health and wellness centre dedicated to first responders called Frontline Forward.

Stevens says McArthur attended the centre’s grand opening and won a draw for a free year of membership.

Stevens says he has since gotten to know McArthur over the past five years, saying he has “strong values” and is “a pretty loving and caring person.”

Stevens says McArthur has spoken openly about his past, and has accepted responsibility for his actions.

“He’s battled hard with his own journey again with post traumatic stress disorder symptoms and I hold him in pretty high regard with that,” Stevens testified, noting that he too had been diagnosed with PTSD near the end of his paramedic career, which included stints in Mississauga and with Ornge Air Ambulance.

Stevens says McArthur has been a peer support person to many of the first responders who go to Frontline Forward.

“Corey has been quite a popular figure around here, he’s a guy that knows a lot of people and he’s always having conversations with many of the members here and they’ve relayed to me that he’s been a strong support network.”

Stevens, too, is supportive of McArthur of returning to policing, calling him “outstanding.”

In cross-examination, Barrow confirmed that Stevens never interacted with McArthur when he was a police officer, and only got to know him after McArthur was suspended in connection with the assault.

This is McArthur’s second Ontario Civilian Police Commission hearing on this matter; following the first he was ordered to resign or be fired within seven days. But that decision was overturned on an appeal, in part because it was determined the hearing officer did not give enough consideration to the role of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This second hearing began in July, with the next dates scheduled for the end of October.