MEDICINE HAT, AB — An accusation of unlawful use of force is the focus of a Police Act Hearing underway in Medicine Hat.
It stems from an alleged traffic violation stop on Southwest Drive back on August 24, 2015.
A local man claims the stop led to a physical confrontation between him and an officer.
The three day hearing got underway Wednesday morning.
Cst. Darren Holeha was conducting a traffic stop when he pulled Ron Eresman over near the SPCA.
Eresman was arrested and taken into custody.
The details surrounding the traffic stop and why Eresman was arrested have not yet been presented.
Two police officers who were involved in investigating Holeha’s conduct gave their testimony on Wednesday, along with Eresman’s daughter, Theresa Tonin.
She saw her dad shortly after he was released.
Tonin testified that, “he was in rough shape.”
She went on to say he seemed distracted, upset and didn’t seem like himself.
She also noticed his shirt was all torn and his glasses were broken, sitting lopsided on his face.
She described the cuts and marks he had on his face, including on his forehead, the bridge of his nose and the bruising near his ear.
When asked about his glasses, Tonin remembers her father saying they’d fallen off during the altercation and that after explaining that he couldn’t see without them, Holeha stomped on them, saying “I don’t give a s—.”
The hearing will continue on Thursday and is expected to wrap up on Friday.
