Former Ontario Provincial Police officer Scott Anthony failed to appear at a virtual hearing in a Bracebridge courtroom on Tuesday. The proceedings concerned private prosecution charges stemming from a violent 2022 arrest in MacTier, Ontario, as reported by the source.
The nine broken ribs and the MacTier surveillance video
On July 10, 2022, at approximately 3:20 a.m., officers responded to a report of a trespasser at the MacTier railyard. According to the report, the resulting encounter with John Madeley Sr. was catured on surveillance video, showing Madeley being punched, kicked, and tasered. The footage reportedly shows Madeley being grabbed by his legs and dragged away while his hands were cuffed behind his back.
The violence described in the incident resulted in Madeley suffering serious injuries, most notably nine broken ribs. While the physical assault was the initial focus of the investigation, the legal scope has since expanded to include the documentation of the event.
Allegations of notebook collusion and obstruction of justice
The current legal battle, initiated by John Madeley Sr. through a private prosecution, moves beyond the physical assault to the integrity of the official record. The report states that Scott Anthony and Ethan Meyer are accused of colluding to lie in their police notebooks to create a narrative that contradicts the surveillance video.
Because of these alleged discrepancies, Anthony is now facing specific chrages of obstruction of justice and fabrication of evidence. These charges suggest that the officers did not merely commit an error in judgment, but actively worked to misrepresent the facts of the arrest in their official capacity.
The divergent careers of Scott Anthony and Ethan Meyer
While both men were involved in the MacTier incident, their professional trajectories have since split. Scott Anthony, 53, previously pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and resigned from the Ontario Provincial Police after admitting he was unfit to serve due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Meanwhile, 30-year-old Ethan Meyer, who was on probationary status during the 2022 arrest, has since joined the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service in Northern Ontario. The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service has confirmed that Meyer is currently suspended with pay while the court proceedings continue. Meyer faces charges of assault, assault with a weapon, and assault causing bodily harm.
The mystery of the missed Bracebridge virtual hearing
The sudden absence of Scott Anthony from Tuesday's virtual hearing in Bracebridge leaves several specific details unverified. While the court expects him to return to the virtual courtroom in two weeks, the reason for his failure to appear has not been disclosed.
Furthermore, the prosecution has yet to present the full extent of the evidence regarding the notebook discrepancies. as the legal process moves forward, the court must determine if the written reports were intentionally manipulated to mask the violence seen on video. Ethan Meyer is scheduled for a separate court appearance in early December.
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