Officers Facing Criminal Charges in the 2017 Death of Dale Culver Have Court Dates Pushed Back on Moment’s Notice

It took over five years for officers involved in the death of Dale Culver to face charges, but the delays are apparently not over yet.

Culver, a 35 year-old member of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en First Nations, passed away while in custody in Prince George on July 18th, 2017.

RCMP had allegedly entered into a scuffle with Culver earlier that day, while attempting to arrest him for casing vehicles.

That would lead to him being pepper-sprayed, afterwhich he would begin experiencing difficulty breathing, and eventually pass away.

A 2020 report into the incident from the BC Independent Investigations Office recommended prosecutors pursue charges against five officers.

Last month, the Prosecution Service approved charges of manslaughter against Constables Paul Ste-Marie, and Jean Francois-Monette.

Constables Arthur Dalman and Clarence MacDonald, as well as Sergeant Bayani Eusebio Cruz are also facing obstruction charges.

All five were initially supposed to appear before the courts tomorrow, but all have now had their court dates pushed back.

Each are now set to make their first appearances on May 2nd.