From a cold one to a chilling reality

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This article was published 12/10/2017 (2585 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It began with a routine group text message, asking who was in for some after-work beers.

Those who answered “yes” now find themselves in the middle of a major police investigation surrounding a deadly hit-and-run.

Justice sources have told the Free Press that five or six fellow officers joined Const. Justin Holz at The Pint after they finished working at the nearby downtown police headquarters just before 5 p.m. Tuesday.

They gathered in the Garry Street pub, which has dark wood decor and sports photos and memorabilia on the walls, while the likes of Green Day and Eddie Vedder provided the background music. Sports highlights played on the flat-screen TVs. The pub is less than a block away from police headquarters.

The group is believed to be on surveillance video at the bar, which will form a critical piece of evidence in the case against Holz, 34, an eight-year veteran. He’s accused of killing 23-year-old pedestrian Cody Severight at about 8 p.m. Tuesday while driving drunk in the area of Main Street and Sutherland Avenue, then immediately leaving the scene.

Holz is charged with impaired driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident. He’s been released on a promise to appear in court Nov. 22 and is suspended with pay.

The Independent Investigations Unit was notified and took control of the case Tuesday night. Since the matter involves a fatality, the independent unit has requested the Manitoba Police Commission appoint a civilian monitor, as required under legislation.

“This will all be easy… to piece together a timeline,” said a justice source, who pointed out there will be records of when Holz left police HQ, when he got to The Pint, how many drinks were ordered and consumed and when he left.

That means the conduct of his colleagues will be scrutinized closely, as well.

There have been a handful of controversial cases in Winnipeg over the years in which police were accused of turning a blind eye to the drinking habits of colleagues at so-called “shifters” who later found themselves in trouble with the law. The most notorious occurred in 2005 when Crystal Taman was killed by off-duty Winnipeg cop Derek Harvey-Zenk. The mishandling of that case by East St. Paul police, laid bare in a scathing public inquiry, led to the creation of the IIU.

“It is very well known about shifters and some of the stupidity that goes on,” the source told the Free Press.

Extensive research strongly suggests that police officers consume more alcohol on average than people working in other professions. A series published in the Dallas News in 2012 reported that “experts have estimated that as many as 20 per cent of police officers are problem drinkers.”

One study found officers drank less frequently than the general population, but tended to binge drink when they did.

John Violanti, a research associate professor at the University at Buffalo and former New York state trooper, told the News drinking is part of police culture.

“They drink a lot, and they drink together,” said Violanti, who studies police stress and alcohol use. “It’s part of the macho image, part of being a cop.”

On-the-job stress — sometimes leading to post-traumatic stress disorder — and peer pressure are often cited as significant reasons for alcohol abuse.

“They are very conscious of helping people, and they’re very idealistic, but they also get exposed to the culture of policing, which really exemplifies drinking,” Violanti told the News.

In 2015, the Toronto Star reported that since 2010, more than 60 Ontario Provincial Police officers and members of five municipal forces in the Greater Toronto Area had been disciplined for drinking and driving by internal police tribunals.

A part-time manager at The Pint said Thursday she was not aware that the officer charged in Tuesday’s fatality was in the bar earlier. And she was not aware that police often gather there. “Maybe on Wednesday wings night,” she said.

Police Chief Danny Smyth has confirmed Holz agreed to a breathalyzer test. He has not been charged with driving over .08.

A justice source told the Free Press Holz blew just under the .08 blood-alcohol limit in separate tests taken at some point following his arrest Tuesday evening.

However, investigators are using scientific extrapolation to support their belief he was legally impaired, believing he would have been over the limit at the time of the crash based on his suspected drinking history that evening.

As well, a reading over .08 is not needed to support an impaired charge. Many other factors — manner of driving, clarity of speech, steadiness of walk and other tell-tale signs such as bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol — are often used to support a charge.

The source said there were two calls placed Tuesday evening to the police communications centre reporting an erratic driver on Main Street. The source didn’t know if the calls came in just before, or just after, the fatal crash. IIU investigators are interviewing those witnesses about what they observed on the road.

Donnie Fizell who saw the collision, said it appeared the 2006 Pontiac that struck and killed Severight was speeding. The victim became airborne, flew over the hood and landed on his head on the street. Fizell said the driver made no obvious attempt to slow down or stop.

Holz turned himself in to police within the hour by making a phone call while parked in the area of Main Street and Red River Boulevard, about seven kilometres north of where Severight was struck.

“I want to send my thoughts and condolences to the victim’s family,” Smyth said at a news conference Wednesday. “This is an unexpected tragedy. This officer will be held accountable for his actions. I want to make it clear that Const. Holz is being investigated criminally for his conduct. He will be treated accordingly regardless of the fact that he’s a member of the police service.”

The IIU is asking witnesses and other individuals who have information or video footage to contact the agency toll-free at 1-844-667-6060.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca