P.A man laid in cell for hours before medical help available, inquest hears

The six-member jury first heard that Norfield was in contact with SHA officials and later police because he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was taken to the Holiday Inn on 2^nd Avenue to isolate on Dec. 1.

Paul Ross was the SHA manager responsible for ensuring people followed isolation requirements and the first witness called to testify.

Ross was called to the hotel because Norfield was not isolating as required, so he went to the hotel and talked to him about why he needed to stay in the room for 14 days.

“He seemed to understand my strong message,” said Ross. “When I left there, I thought he was going to do as I asked.”

Norfield did not. He left the hotel and took a taxi downtown.

Because he was violating a public health order, Norfield was taken to the Prince Albert Police Service where he was placed into a cell in the otherwise empty youth area.

COVID-19-positive people who refuse to isolate as directed at the time were occasionally taken to North Battleford where they would stay for the length of their isolation and released.

Police would detain the person and then take them for a medical assessment before the sheriff’s service would transport them to North Battleford.

Ross said that at the time, the entire medical system was overloaded and ambulances were waiting eight to 10 hours to off-load patients at the hospital.

He also testified that police have no access to medical records of the people they deal with or take into custody.

Following Ross’ testimony, the inquest heard an agreed statement of facts that showed that Norfield had been accepted into the social detox program but he tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 24.

He was told to isolate for 14 days but on Nov. 30, he went to the Victoria Hospital by ambulance twice, saying he had taken higher than prescribed doses of medication.

Blood tests, x-rays and other tests all showed normal results and the next day, he was taken into custody by police for failing to isolate.

Sgt. Curtis Bradbury, a 17-year officer who worked with Prince Albert police for 10 years and the RCMP before that, took the jury and coroner through 35 video clips of the inside of the cell where Norfield was taken and the hallway outside.

The sequence of videos shows Norfield walking normally into the cell area and removing his outerwear.

He took a drink from the tap, sat down and waited, before getting up 30 minutes later, taking another drink and tapping on the camera to get the guard’s attention.

“When he comes in, he’s perfectly fine but at this point, he starts becoming disoriented,” Bradbury explained.

He said the guards can only see the video in real time so if they don’t see strange behaviour from an inmate when it happens, they would not know it happened.

After an hour or so, the guard gave Norfield a Styrofoam cup for water which he filled and drank.

That was a pattern that repeated with increasing frequency for hours.

Bradbury said when he reviewed the footage later, Norfield drank from the tap 19 times filled the cup and drank the contents 128 times.

He also vomited 10 times and needed to use the toilet 22 times.

Footage also shows after some time that Norfield was very disoriented talking to the wall and then using the cup as a phone.

Just before 3:00 am, video shows him stumbling more before laying down on his side and having convulsions or seizures.

Despite that, he managed to get up several times but continued to stumble and fall, eventually hitting his head on the concrete wall or the concrete bench used for sleeping.

Footage of the hall showed that guards and officers continuously checked on him until paramedics arrived at 9:10 a.m. One guard alone checked him 17 times.

“They were not there because he was in medical distress,” Bradbury explained, “it was the scheduled pickup to go to North Battleford.”

The footage then shows the medics helping Norfield get on the stretcher before taking him to the hospital.

Norfield passed away on Dec. 5. The inquest continues Tuesday at the Coronet Hotel.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

P.A man laid in cell for hours before medical help available, inquest hears

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