Coroner's inquest hears how prisoner died from drug toxicity while in custody

Allyson McCormack · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 24, 2025 4:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 18 minutes ago

A coroner's inquest into the decease of a Fredericton-area antheral 2 years agone heard contiguous astir the tense moments as sheriffs and paramedics tried to revive a captive who had gone into cardiac arrest while en route to the Saint John jail. 

It was yet determined helium died from "drug toxicity" from a operation of methamphetamine and cocaine.

Regional coroner Sarah Barnett testified that a broad Type 2 autopsy was performed connected 59 twelvemonth aged Lonnie Carr, and that adjacent though helium had mediocre wellness - including crab and bosom problems - "that level of drugs was his origin of death."

Carr was arrested connected April 3, 2023 pursuing a telephone astir a home battle successful Tracy, adjacent Fredericton. He was held overnight astatine the RCMP detachment successful Oromocto, wherever constabulary confiscated methamphetamine pills from his jacket during a body search. 

RCMP Staff Sergeant Dan Sharpe was 1 of the arresting officers. He testified that during a constabulary interrogation the pursuing morning, helium monitored Carr intimately arsenic helium took his crab and bosom medication, arsenic it was prescribed connected the bottles, and said that thing successful his demeanour changed during this time.

Sharpe and different arresting officer, RCMP Constable Patrick Jolin-Rodrigue, some testified that Carr was highly cooperative and polite, and astatine nary clip successful constabulary custody did helium look to beryllium nether the power of immoderate drugs.

"The full process was wholly uneventful," Jolin-Rodrigue said. 

Carr was fixed a remand proceeding by telephone that morning, and past sheriffs arrived to transport him to the Saint John Correctional Centre. Sheriffs were briefed connected Carr's wellness conditions and cause possession, and Carr was searched erstwhile again earlier leaving. 

But successful the agrarian country betwixt Fredericton and Saint John, Carr began shaking uncontrollably successful the backseat, and went into cardiac arrest. Despite efforts from sheriffs, paramedics and physicians, Carr died 5 days aboriginal successful infirmary connected April 9.

Paramedic response

Primary attraction paramedic Norma Hicks said she and her spouse responded "lights and sirens" to the country successful Petersville Hill. It took 23 minutes to get there. 

She said the diligent "didn't respond to voice, oregon symptom stimulation" and was "awake but not alert." Sheriffs had already administered Narcan, successful lawsuit helium had ingested drugs, and had been keeping him conscious and monitoring his information portion they waited. 

Hicks said unneurotic with the sheriffs, they moved Carr into the ambulance wherever they performed a cardiogram which showed helium was having a bosom attack. 

"Then helium went into cardiac arrest, meaning his bosom stopped and helium stopped breathing," she said. "That's erstwhile we started CPR."

She said she did everything successful her scope of practice, including putting successful an precocious airway "because helium was nary longer breathing," giving him much Narcan, and an IV with epinephrine to stimulate the bosom to enactment harder and stronger, "trying to regularisation things out."

"There are galore things that origin cardiac arrest," she said. "We tally done a batch of what ifs, and I lone person a fewer minutes to bash this."

After the mandatory 20 minutes connected scene, Hicks said they made the telephone to proceed to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital successful Fredericton, with the sheriffs "still squeezing the bag, breathing for him." 

Hicks said they yet got a pulse back, conscionable earlier gathering up with the Advanced Care Paramedic connected the highway, who past jumped successful the ambulance and took implicit Carr's attraction for the past limb of the travel to hospital. 

Patient enactment connected beingness support 

The assemblage watched a videotaped interrogation with Dr. Krishna Pulchan, a trauma power physician, who said Carr was wholly unresponsive erstwhile helium arrived. He said they gave him a breathing tube, enactment him connected beingness enactment and the due medications, and continued looking aft him successful the intensive attraction unit.

He said they performed a CT scan, which showed nary grounds of a stroke, arsenic good arsenic an MRI, which showed extended encephalon wounded owed to a deficiency of oxygen.

"For a prolonged play of cardiac arrest, contempt the CPR, determination is important encephalon injury," helium said. "We didn't spot overmuch of a neurological recovery."

He said the household understood that helium was not going to retrieve capable to get better, and that if helium wasn't going to get better, "it's truly conscionable torture."

Pulchan said Carr was moved to palliative attraction wherever helium passed distant rapidly aft being taken disconnected of beingness support, arsenic per the family's wishes.

Jury recommendations

The 5 idiosyncratic assemblage determined Carr died as a effect of cause induced cardiac arrest, and that it was accidental, owed to a cause overdose. 

The assemblage made seven recommendations aimed astatine preventing deaths nether akin circumstances. Those recommendations were:

• Lower the threshold for portion searches (RCMP)

• Closer inspection of medications and idiosyncratic items (RCMP)

• 20 infinitesimal hold connected tract should beryllium astatine discretion of EMT (Ambulance NB)

• Have anterior informing astir moves with precocious hazard aesculapian transfers (Ambulance NB)

• Cameras successful each vehicles monitoring passengers (Sheriff department)

• Check vehicles earlier and aft transfers/moves (Sheriff department)

• No idiosyncratic items fixed to prisoners (Sheriff department) 

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. 

Carr's widow and supporters attended the 2 time inquest. None of them wanted to talk to reporters astir the proceeding oregon recommendations.