Testimonies continue in inquest of Jaime Hope’s RCMP custody death

Readers are advised that this story contains explicit mentions of sex acts. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The second day of a coroner’s inquest into the death of a woman in Dawson Creek RCMP custody in 2019 saw further testimony from RCMP and city employees. 

Dawson Creek police precinct workers, as well as the supervisor of the April 12th to 13th night shift, were interviewed about their interactions with Jaime Hope, a woman who passed away from a suspected drug overdose while in RCMP custody on April 13th, 2019.

According to arresting Constable Karlee Vanhie’s testimony on June 17th, Hope was arrested on suspicions of drug trafficking in April 2019 due to the presence of drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. 

When asked by jury members, Vanhie stated she could not recall if Hope had been asked if she had ingested any drugs upon her arrest or processing in Dawson Creek. 

Vanhie drove Hope to the Dawson Creek precinct and strip-searched the woman before taking her to a cell.

During Hope’s time in RCMP custody, Vanhie was still completing her six-month on-the-job training following mandatory cadet training. Vanhie had also not performed a strip search prior to performing one on Hope.

She testified on June 17th that she had not observed any odd behaviour from Hope when she was arrested or processed. 

After placing Hope in a cell, Vanhie did not interact with her again until paramedics were removing her from the precinct. She then accompanied the paramedics to the ambulance and to the hospital around 8 a.m.

On June 18th, civilian guards Claudette Oullette and Donald Laythorpe were interviewed about their involvement with Hope. 

The two were responsible for monitoring the cells within the precinct, with Oullette in charge when Hope was brought in and Laythorpe taking over less than two hours before paramedics removed Hope. 

Laythorpe was in charge of monitoring the cells when Hope’s behaviour changed and was present in the precinct when paramedics arrived. Laythorpe testified that he was informed that Hope began to have a heart attack.

In reviewing footage recorded from 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. on April 13th from Hope’s cell, Hope can be seen masturbating and possibly removing a black item from her pants. 

Laythorpe stated he had seen her actions and reported them as suspicious to officers present at the precinct, but he had not noticed her removing the item at the moment due to having a full precinct of prisoners to observe. 

“I wish I had seen [the item] on the bench because that would have indicated she’d removed something from her body,” Laythorpe said.

He explained that if he had seen this, he would have reported it to officers immediately. 

Melanie Pratch, a now-retired RCMP officer and forensics expert, identified the item Hope appeared to remove from herself as a small bag with particles of a crystalline substance. 

The bag was open and possibly slightly ripped in one corner when photographed by Pratch.

Pratch was brought to Dawson Creek as a part of the April 14th investigation conducted by the Independent Investigations Office following Hope’s death. 

When inquest counsel Rolf Warburton asked Laythorpe if he had any recommendations for possible improvements the jury could consider to improve the process, Laythorpe explained he would like to see a second guard available to monitor and check prisoners when there are more than eight. 

The inquest, ordered by the B.C. Coroners Service in May, and is intended to shed light on the circumstances of Hope’s death. 

After hearing five days of witness testimony, the jury can recommend training or procedural changes if necessary. No legal responsibility will be taken after the conclusion of the inquest. 

The jury will hear testimony from witnesses and experts daily throughout the week and commence deliberations after the final witness speaks on June 21st.

Energeticcity.ca will continue to follow this inquest throughout the week of testimony.