No charges for Mounties who Tasered Alta. man before he died

January 20, 2010
Calgary Herald

Two RCMP officers will not be charged in the death of an Alberta man who was Tasered prior to his arrest last year.

Grant William Prentice was arrested in Brooks, Alta., on May 6 after he was found acting erratically and trying to force his way into a home. RCMP officers were trying to handcuff Prentice when he resisted, police said. Officers used the Taser twice.

Brooks is about 185 kilometres southeast of Calgary.

The Taser didn't appear to affect the man at the time, but Prentice showed signs of "medical distress" when he was finally arrested, police said. He was pronounced dead at hospital.

Investigators from the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said Wednesday the Taser did not play a role in the death. The autopsy report showed the man died of a cocaine overdose, the team said.

The team reviews serious injuries or deaths that may have resulted from the actions of police officers.