Coroner's inquest hears Fredericton-area man went into medical distress while being taken to jail

Allyson McCormack · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 6:04 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A assemblage astatine a coroner's inquest Wednesday heard however a Fredericton-area antheral went into aesculapian distress while being transported by sheriffs to the Saint John jailhouse 2 years ago.

Chris Furzer was 1 of the sheriffs transporting 59-year-old Lonnie Carr to the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre connected April 4, 2023, erstwhile helium said helium noticed Carr was successful distress.

"When I looked backmost implicit my enarthrosis I could spot him shaking uncontrollably," helium said to the five-person jury.

Furzer said they pulled implicit successful Persville Hill and called an ambulance. He asked Carr if helium had consumed anything but helium didn't respond. Carr was inactive awake but incapable to communicate, helium said. 

Furzer told the assemblage helium administered a Narcan nasal spray to reverse the effects of a imaginable overdose. He besides checked Carr's captious signs and continued to show him until the ambulance arrived.

Once paramedics were connected the scene, helium said they confirmed Carr had gone into cardiac arrest. Furzer said helium helped administer CPR each the mode to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital successful Fredericton, where infirmary unit took over.

Carr, a joined begetter of three, with 2 grandchildren, died successful infirmary five days later, connected April 9. 

Arrested successful Tracy

Staff Sgt. Dan Sharpe testified that helium was stationed astatine the Oromocto RCMP detachment connected April 3, 2023, erstwhile it received a telephone alleging that Carr's spouse had been assaulted with a hatchet successful Tracy, adjacent Fredericton. 

He said Carr was known to constabulary and they proceeded to the telephone with caution, particularly due to the fact that home calls "can crook precise quickly."

Once they located Carr's partner safely outside, helium said they arrested Carr without incident. 

Sharpe said Carr had aggregate wellness complications, including bony crab and bosom problems. He said constabulary secured his medicine and brought it backmost to the detachment, making definite it was each prescribed to Carr and had not expired.

Sharpe said Carr didn't look to beryllium nether the power of drugs and was "extremely co-operative" and polite.

RCMP Const. Patrick Jolin-Rodrigue besides responded to the telephone that day, and transported Carr backmost to the Oromocto detachment. He described Carr arsenic a pleasant person, who maintained speech during the full drive.

Jolin-Rodrigue said helium recovered a plastic bag that contained 7½ methamphetamine pills, known arsenic ice, connected Carr erstwhile helium did a much thorough assemblage cheque backmost astatine the station. 

He said successful his experience, radical connected meth are highly agitated, often sweating, stuttering and incapable to focus. He said Carr was civilian and showed nary signs of intoxication.

"The full process was wholly uneventful," helium said.

Carr was held astatine the Oromocto detachment overnight and was fixed a remand proceeding by telephone the adjacent morning. 

Sharpe said helium had a 45-minute interrogation with Carr that morning and watched him instrumentality his medications arsenic they talked. He said thing changed successful Carr's demeanour during this time. He besides had java and h2o during their meeting, and aboriginal had breakfast. 

Later that morning, the sheriffs were called to take Carr to the Saint John Correctional Centre. Sharpe said they were briefed connected Carr's wellness conditions and that methamphetamine was recovered connected him.

The inquest is expected to wrapper up tomorrow.

Deputy main coroner Emily Caissy said a coroner's inquest is mandatory erstwhile idiosyncratic dies portion successful custody. It does not marque immoderate uncovering of ineligible responsibility. The assemblage volition person the accidental to marque recommendations aimed astatine preventing deaths nether akin circumstances.