An RCMP officer passes by family and friends of Dale Culver after the court trial on May 13

By Tommy Osborne

Dale Culver

RCMP show support for officers charged with obstruction of justice in Dale Culver trial

May 13, 2024 | 4:02 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Around 15-20 members of the Prince George RCMP attended the obstruction of justice trial for three officers connected to the Dale Culver case today (May 13). The Culver case saw Dale Culver involved in a physical incident with police seven years ago, and he died shortly after due to heart complications. While Constables Paul Ste. Marie and Jean Francois Monette had their charges of manslaughter stayed in a trial earlier this year, the trial that began today for Constables Arthur Dalman and Sergeant John Eusebio Cruz are regarding allegations that these officers attempted to confiscate cellphones and have members of the public delete footage of the incident from their phones.

“This incident has been very stressful for the members involved. Obviously, it’s dragged on for almost seven years now so it’s had a big impact on those members, as well as members that have worked with them in, I would say every member here at this detachment. So there’s a lot of interest and a lot of camaraderie amongst the members,” said PG RCMP Superintendent Shaun Wright, one of several officers at the courthouse.

Today’s court trial was focused on setting the scene for the trial, as the crown counsel for the three officers spoke of the importance of establishing the particulars. Among other things, this included establishing what specifically is behind the charges for obstruction of justice, as one defence lawyer pointed out there are three different avenues the crown prosecution can use to pursue officers, being:

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1. Focusing on interactions which saw officers directly interact with specific witnesses.
2. Direct interactions with other members of the public, which may not focus on one specific witness.
3. The act of note taking. The crown prosecution alleges there was a deficiency in note taking when Constable Dahlman and Sergeant Cruz failed to report witnesses and witness contact information, which may reflect an undercut, modified investigation

Before the trial can proceed, the counsel says it must establish these particulars so the counsel can prepare for any potential witnesses. Once these particulars are set, the trial will proceed.

Family and friends of Dale Culver were also at court today to show support for Dale. Lily Speed-Namox, Dale’s daughter, says she feels this trial has been more open than the previous manslaughter trial.

“I feel like they’re talking about it more with us than like, behind closed doors, if that makes sense. There’s a lot more discussion going on in the courtroom as well as with us, and we are like a bit more informed as to what’s going on now,” Lily said.

Both Lily and her mother, Tracy Speed, say they are optimistic about the trial going forward and that they will see the result they want to see, being a guilty verdict.

“We’re just basically trying to stay positive at this point, that somebody will be held accountable for taking people’s lives,” Tracy said.

“We are all that he (Dale) has left for our voice. So we’re here for him,” Tracy added.

While the trial began on May 13, and on May 14 several particulars of the case will be confirmed, Moving forward, the earliest day the trial will resume would be May 21.

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