Sask. police watchdog investigates after body pulled from sewage lagoon

The SiRT logo is seen in an undated file photo.

The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating after the body of an 18-year-old man was pulled from a sewage lagoon near Langham.

According to a SIRT news release, on August 24 around 1:12 a.m., a Warman RCMP officer initiated a traffic stop after seeing a truck with no taillights on Highway 16 near Saskatoon.

The driver failed to stop and continued driving, says SIRT, a civilian body tasked with investigating police conduct.

The officer did not pursue the vehicle and the Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) and Dalmeny Police Service (DPS) were advised of the incident and of the vehicle's description.

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Later that night, a CPPS officer spotted the truck but did not follow it, either, as it operated at a normal rate of speed.

“After several minutes the CPPS vehicle proceeded down the same road as the truck, without emergency equipment activated. The truck proceeded off the road into a field, and out of sight of police. Members of the RCMP, CPPS, and DPS attended the area but did not re-establish contact with the truck, and departed the area a short time later,” the SIRT release says.

The next morning, the RCMP was informed that the truck's owner had not returned home the previous night. Police found the truck partially submerged in the sewage lagoon near Langham — about 35 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

The RCMP and Saskatoon Police Service conducted an aerial search of the lagoon but did not find the truck’s owner.

On Aug. 26, a body was discovered floating in the lagoon. When emergency crews pulled the body from the water, they realized it was the truck's registered owner — an 18-year-old man.

SIRT says the investigators will examine the conduct of police during this incident, including any relationship to the death of the man.

No further details will be released at this time, according to SIRT, but a public report outlining the investigation's findings is due within 90 days of its conclusion.

SIRT's mandate includes independently investigating deaths or serious injuries involving on-duty or off-duty police officers, as well as allegations of sexual assault or interpersonal violence involving police.