No charges laid following altercation involving Southern Chiefs' grand chief: Ottawa police
Jerry Daniels returned to his post with Southern Chiefs' Organization on Jan. 6 after a leave of absence
No charges have been laid following an altercation in Ottawa involving the grand chief of an organization that represents First Nations in southern Manitoba, a police spokesperson says.
Southern Chiefs' Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels was hospitalized following the incident, which happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 3 in Ottawa, where the Assembly of First Nations was holding a gathering.
Ottawa previously said they were called to the city's ByWard Market area around 2:30 a.m. that day for a disturbance, after which a man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Southern Chiefs' Organization, which represents 33 First Nations in southern Manitoba, said on Dec. 12 that Daniels was taking a leave for an "undetermined" period, citing health reasons. It later said he was expected to return on Jan. 6.
Daniels issued an apology on Facebook in mid-December, saying he was seeking help after what he described as "a wakeup call." In a subsequent post, he said he was seeking treatment for alcohol use.
Daniels was first elected as SCO's grand chief in 2017. He was acclaimed for a second term in 2020 and was re-elected last June.
Ottawa police said the investigation into the Dec. 3 incident is now closed.