Alleged seller charged in drug death of Ilderton, Ont. paramedic
Alleged seller charged in drug death of Ilderton, Ont. paramedic
London, Ont. police have charged a man after a drug-related death in December 2021.
According to police, emergency services responded to a 9-1-1 call for an unresponsive man in a parking lot near Exeter Road and Wellington Road on December 21 around 4:40 a.m.
The man from Ilderton, Ont. — identified as Neil Harvey — was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.
A post-mortem revealed the cause of death as a fentanyl overdose.
Harvey was a paramedic for Sarnia Lambton EMS and taught in the paramedic program at Lambton College. He’d been a first responder since the age of 18.
Harvey was 39-years-old and the father of a young son named Hunter.
But according to Harvey’s father, being a first responder took its toll and Harvey had been diagnosed with PTSD.
On a GoFundMe page created eight months ago to raise money for a PTSD support dog, the paramedic wrote, “I have spent the majority of my adult life giving to others, volunteering, and supporting the communities I live and work in to make them better places. I have always had an incredibly hard time asking for help, which is part of the reason for my PTSD diagnosis.”
Harvey later got a service dog named Nash and began training with him before he died.
Few additional details are known at this time, but police say the male suspect who allegedly sold the fentanyl to Harvey is a 35-year-old from London.
He was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with one count of manslaughter, where he made his first court appearance in relation to the charges.
— With files from CTV News London’s Daryl Newcombe
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