Widow whose husband was killed by a speeding OPP officer told misconduct was ‘not serious’
CTV
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can’t believe the force told her it won’t hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was “not serious.”
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can’t believe the force told her it won’t hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was “not serious.”
Courtney D’Arthenay says she was shocked to read those words in a letter from Ontario Provincial Police brass — a decision that narrows potential penalties for the officer involved and leaves her wondering if she will ever get answers to her many outstanding questions in the case.
“My entire life is completely altered in a way I could never imagine. I can’t go back to what it was. It’s the most serious thing when you don’t have a life partner any more,” D’Arthenay told CTV News in an interview.
In response to questions from CTV News, an OPP spokesperson agreed the tone of the response was “cold” — but stood by the decision to resolve the complaint informally.
“The OPP fully acknowledges that the terminology in the response letter…seems cold, considering the incident resulted in a tragic death. Unfortunately that is the only wording available in the Police Services Act to describe conduct that can be resolved informally,” said spokesperson Bill Dickson.
D’Arthenay, who is 37, said she knew after a short time that she and her husband Tyler Dorzyk were soulmates. They lived together in Pembroke, Ont. and Dorzyk, a marine technician by trade, loved mud running and pursuing creative projects.
Around midnight on September 29, 2020, Dorzyk, 35, was run over and killed in Midland, north of Barrie. He was travelling to the city for work and he and a friend were walking across Highway 12 at Jones Road in the rain.