The coroner’s inquest into the death of Jeremy Sabourin headed into day 3 at the Moose Jaw Court of Kings Bench on Wednesday. The inquest began by hearing from the Assiniboia RCMP officer Const. Colin Tetreault who searched Sabourin at the Assiniboia detachment. 

Const. Colin Tetreault was less than a month in as a sworn RCMP officer on the day of the incident. 

Tetreault conducted the search was Sabourin at the Assiniboia RCMP detachment after he was arrested. He was supervised by his training officer Const. Paisley Armstrong and Sgt. Dennis Siliker during the search. 

Tetreault testified that, after the fact, he was made aware of the metal detector wand at the detachment. He said it was his first week posted in Assiniboia and didn’t know it was available. He also said using a metal detector wand was not part of his training at Depot Division. 

Tetreault left the RCMP in August of 2022 and is an officer with the Chatham-Kent Police Service in Ontario. It was noted in his testimony that his choice to leave the RCMP had nothing to do with the incident and was a personal choice. 

He said in his new role they have mini assignments that force them to read policies to be more familiar with them. He said it would be something he would recommend as he didn’t know RCMP policy at the time when it came to searching prisoners. 

He confirmed that he was one of the officers that searched Sabourin’s truck. Along with a loaded 9mm handgun, he found 22-calibre bullets on the passenger seat. At the time he didn’t find it unusual because there have been other instances, he’s seen where ammunition is present but the gun is not. 

Tetreault said he was aware of the missing derringer during the search warrants of Sabourin’s house as well as his parent’s place but with told very little about the gun. 

His testimony went over the video of his search of Sabourin at the detachment. 

He outlined when he checked Sabourin’s waistline, although the view was obstructed on the video. Tetreault said Siliker asked if he was happy with the search which he replied the search went well. 

Sabourin was arrested in Assiniboia on an outstanding warrant for a sexual assault charge. He was transported to the Moose Jaw Police Service on Oct. 6, 2021, for a court date the next day. He died on Oct. 7, 2021, in a MJPS holding cell from a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a revolver that was concealed inside his pants. 

Under The Coroners Act, 1999, the chief coroner can hold a public inquest into the death of an inmate unless the coroner is satisfied that the person’s death was from natural causes and was not preventable.  

According to the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety and the coroner’s office, public inquests are fact-finding only and are not intended to find fault.   

Inquests are held to inform the public about the circumstances around the death, make dangerous practices and conditions known and make recommendations to avoid preventable deaths.