B.C. Mountie gets probation in fatal 2017 arrest of Dale Culver in Prince George

Dale Culver, 35, went into medical distress after being tackled to the ground and pepper-sprayed by RCMP officers on July 18, 2017.

An RCMP officer convicted of obstruction of justice in the death of an Indigenous man while in custody in 2017 has been handed 18 months probation by a court in British Columbia.

The BC Prosecution Service says Const. Arthur Dalman received the probation order with various conditions, which will give him a criminal record.

Dalman was convicted in July 2024 for ordering witnesses to delete video footage taken at the time Dale Culver was arrested in Prince George in 2017, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association had said that officers beat the man and used pepper spray during the arrest.

Culver, who was 35 years old, was Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en, and police said at the time that they had received a report about a man casing vehicles and found a suspect who tried to get away on a bicycle.

The association also said that Culver died half an hour later after complaining of having trouble breathing, and the provincial Independent Investigations Office recommended charges against the officer in 2020.

The Civil Liberties Association says Dalman is the only officer convicted in the case, with others acquitted or having their charges stayed.

“That night, multiple RCMP officers pepper-sprayed, punched, kicked, and kneed Culver, who died approximately 30 minutes later after complaining of difficulty breathing,” a statement from the association says.

“(The probation) means that Dalman will have a criminal record, will have to report to a probation officer, and must complete 150 hours of community work service.”

Dalman had challenged his conviction claiming his Charter rights were breached, but a provincial court judge upheld the guilty verdict last May, paving the way for sentencing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 2, 2026.