By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
HAGERSVILLE—Almost a year after the crime, Haldimand OPP announced another arrest on April 11, 2022 made in relation to the hit-and-run death of Hagersville resident Alexander Dalton.
On April 7, 35-year-old Waterford resident Timothy Clarke Anthony was arrested at a residence in Norfolk County. The accused has been charged with:
- Causing death by criminal negligence
- Fail to stop at accident resulting in death
- Operation while prohibited (six counts).
Haldimand OPP said that Anthony was being held for bail and was to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cayuga to answer to the charges. The Cayuga court office stated April 11 that no bail hearing date had been set for Anthony at the time of the call.
According to Constable Mary Gagliardi of Haldimand OPP, due to a court-ordered publication ban, further details on the arrest are prohibited, including offering direct clarification if Anthony was, in fact, the driver behind the wheel that night.
Despite the arrest, Gagliardi said the OPP continues to investigate the incident and is appealing to “any witnesses that may have information related to the collision.”
Gagliardi also commented on the communication between the OPP and members of Dalton’s family over the course of the last year: “The OPP has been in constant contact with the family during this entire investigation, and they have been made aware of the arrest. We thank them for their assistance and patience throughout this investigation. Our thoughts are continually with them and will continue to be during the judicial process ahead.”
Dalton’s mother, Andrea King, took time to share her thoughts on the arrest following the announcement on Monday: “I’m kind of at a loss for words today. I’m just really emotional.”
“There’s a relief for sure, knowing that justice is going to be served, but it’s also bringing everything up again,” said King. “We’re coming up to a year on the 23rd. We were in the process of making plans for his one-year celebration and ceremony. To have the news drop today is amazing because it’s giving us that closure and the real healing can begin now…. It feels like we can now carry on with what we need to do.”
On that closure, King added, “I don’t know if this will bring complete closure; I don’t know if we’ll ever live without this level of grief, but it definitely brings us some.”
King had nothing to say to Anthony or the other arrested suspects in the case, but she did express gratitude to the OPP and the community: “We’re really grateful for their support and all the work they have done, and so grateful to the community for the outpouring of support we’ve had…. Lots of emotions being felt.”
Being in the loop on the investigation has been helpful for King, but it’s also been difficult knowing certain facts about the case she could not speak about publicly: “We’re still kind of in that. We’ve been kept in the loop as much as they could keep us in the loop, but also there is still a publication ban, so we’re very careful on what we say. We don’t want to hinder the case at all. It’s very difficult knowing the things we can’t talk about; that’s been hard for us.”
Sherri Lafleur, family friend and organizer of the Purple Ribbon campaign that blanketed Hagersville and other towns in purple and blue ribbons in remembrance of Alex, shared her thoughts on the news: “This helps us to celebrate Alex and to have a path towards closure…. I think it has to be looked on as a path. It’s a start, but it’s a wonderful start.”
Prior to the arrest, Lafleur had been working with Alex’s family on a celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of his death, which is set to include a fresh batch of ribbons to be placed along King Street and Sarah Street in Hagersville.
Lafleur remains overwhelmed to this day from the support shown during the original ribbon campaign: “We thank, from the bottom of our hearts, the family, friends, and community. Not just Hagersville, but Caledonia, Jarvis, Simcoe, and all the rural areas. We probably put over 2,500 ribbons up and I go out every day and they’re still there. They really did hold up over the winter.”
Family, friends, and anyone else who wants to help Alex’s family celebrate his life are welcome to take part in a celebration at the King family farm on April 23: “We’ll have a fire to honour him and share our stories and feast to him. We’ll have a meal with all his friends, all of our family, and anyone who wants to come out and join us to honour his life.”
As of publication, a GoFundMe set up by neighbour Steve Slack is sitting at $64,057 for information leading to an arrest in the case. According to Gagliardi, the GoFundMe reward was not a factor in the investigation or the arrests.
“That money is currently being held in trust, and we haven’t even discussed what we will do with it,” said King.
Lafleur summed up, “The overwhelming response and love for Alex was just incredible. It just goes to show what a lovely young man he was and what a heartbreaking loss it was. My heart goes out to the immediate family; I think we’ve all just grown to love each other and become friends, and it’s very overwhelming. Please thank the community for us.”
