Charges laid in case of prisoner overdoses

Police have charged a 20-yearold man with providing the drugs that sent three prisoners to hospital with apparent overdoses on Aug. 22.

Two of the three men had been transported to Regina Provincial Court from the provincial jail — where they were being remanded at the time — while the third had come to court from city police cells.

After the trio was taken to hospital that afternoon, reportedly showing signs of critical illness, an investigation was launched into what the drug was and how the men got their hands on it.

This week, police charged Nickolai Alton Ellson with trafficking in heroin and a breach of undertaking in relation to the incident.

According to a Regina Police Service spokeswoman, it’s alleged the accused “made a hand-to-hand exchange with two of the prisoners” before the two men and a third became ill.

The men were treated in hospital and were released to the jail that night.

Ellson was not one of the men who had to be taken to hospital, police said.

He made his first appearance at Regina Provincial Court on his new charges Wednesday.

Earlier in the week, on Monday, Ellson was handed a sentence of 13 months in addition to remand credit for a charge of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking and several unrelated possessions of stolen vehicles.

The drug charge from Monday is not related to his new drug charge.

The incident in court cells occurred just before a death on Aug. 23 at the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre.

Police have not released the cause of death of the 48-year-old man, although a provincial government spokesman said at the time that the two incidents would be examined for any possible connections.