The St. Catharines Poltergeist Case

Very interesting. I'd never heard of this case before. I tried finding other information. But every site seems to use the content from the original source. I did find an article that also included a picture of one of the police reports.

The Poltergeist of St. Catherines, Ontario

Though the image is somewhat hard to read, it is notable to me that the police officer (Wier, I think) states to the effect that it was his opinion that the boy was "inhabitated" by a spirit or poltergeist. He even explains the poltergeist phenomena in the report.

It strikes me as a bit odd that a police officer would make an official report that cites by what all accounts is a paranormal or supernatural explanation for what he witnessed. I know that reporting UFOs in such a manner by pilots can lead to being ridiculed or at worst grounded. Does this also apply in similar fashion to police? Are there any elements of deep Catholicism or other local culture that would make this type of a report acceptable?
 
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Ultima Thule said:
It strikes me as a bit odd that a police officer would make an official report that cites by what all accounts is a paranormal or supernatural explanation for what he witnessed. I know that reporting UFOs in such a manner by pilots can lead to being ridiculed or at worst grounded. Does this also apply in similar fashion to police? Are there any elements of deep Catholicism or other local culture that would make this type of a report acceptable?
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I would think a police officer today would avoid putting anything paranormal in an official report but this attitude would not have been as strong back a half century ago when this incident took place. This is how it was with pilots once upon a time. Giving a report of witnessing something strange from the cockpit wasn't always an embarrassing thing. Decades ago it was seen as being negligent of your duty if you saw something, no matter how strange it might sound, and not reporting it.
 
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Stevedog said:
I would think a police officer today would avoid putting anything paranormal in an official report but this attitude would not have been as strong back a half century ago when this incident took place.
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That is a good point. Fifty years is a long time. I think one also would have to understand the community as it was back then and the police relationship with the citizens. Calling in a priest during the actual police response is also something that one probably would not see today.
 
Ultima Thule said:
That is a good point. Fifty years is a long time. I think one also would have to understand the community as it was back then and the police relationship with the citizens. Calling in a priest during the actual police response is also something that one probably would not see today.
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They did call in a priest at the Gary, IN case not that long ago.

Children possessed by 200 demons 'levitated' and walked backwards over walls in front of hospital staff | Daily Mail Online
 
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Stevedog said:
I would think a police officer today would avoid putting anything paranormal in an official report but this attitude would not have been as strong back a half century ago when this incident took place. This is how it was with pilots once upon a time. Giving a report of witnessing something strange from the cockpit wasn't always an embarrassing thing. Decades ago it was seen as being negligent of your duty if you saw something, no matter how strange it might sound, and not reporting it.
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I would have thought it would have been just the opposite. Paranormal programming and media stories are so commonplace today, reporting something paranormal wouldn't be all that out of the mainstream.
 
Debi said:
They did call in a priest at the Gary, IN case not that long ago.
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The exorcisms of Latoya Ammons

The Indy Star article referenced in the original link was updated in Oct 2019. It might be worth a re-read as there may be new information not reflected in the 2014 Daily Mail article. Also, according to the Indy Star, Ammons "signed releases letting The Star review medical, psychological and official records that are not open to the public — and not always flattering." So there's a lot of detail.

As for the police calling in a priest, they did not do so during the official first response. It was only later when they want back in an off-duty capacity that they were joined by Father Maginot, DCS and officers from an adjacent jurisdiction. Father Maginot was originally contacted by a hospital chaplain when it all began. So I'm seeing this as being different from how the police responded in the St. Catharines Poltergeist case.

Grandmother Campbell made an interesting statement. She said "the demons didn't affect her because she was born with protection from evil. She said she, and others like her, have a guardian who protects them."

Weird stuff. I'm glad it all had a happy ending.
 
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Wow this was an amazing case. The poor boy! It seems that certain people are just victims for some reason. They seem to have a spiritual vulnerability that negative forces take advantage of. I love the care that the police and others took in supporting the family. I wish this would happen in today’s world. It seems everyone came together.
 
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Lynne said:
Wow this was an amazing case. The poor boy! It seems that certain people are just victims for some reason. They seem to have a spiritual vulnerability that negative forces take advantage of. I love the care that the police and others took in supporting the family. I wish this would happen in today’s world. It seems everyone came together.
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The way it is presented does suggest that the police had a mutually sympathetic relationship with the community.
 
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