William Hayter Arrested Following Month-Long Theft Spree in Sarnia
Sarnia police have arrested 41-year-old William Hayter, who was linked to a series of thefts spanning from July 6 to July 22. Hayter, who has no fixed address, faces six counts of theft and eight counts of breaching probation.
Investigations began earlier this month after police started probing multiple stolen bicycles and thefts from vehicles. A separate arrest made on July 10 in the Rapids Parkway area led investigators to identify Hayter as a second suspect involved in several incidents, including the theft of three bicycles from outside Lambton Mall and the Sarnia Food Basics, despite the bicycles being locked.
Hayter was taken into custody on Thursday and released on bail the following day. He is scheduled to appear in court in late August.
Earlier this year, Hayter was sentenced to approximately six months in jail for an 18-month crime spree across Sarnia. That spree, driven by drug addiction, involved fraud, theft, possession of stolen debit or credit cards, and multiple breaches of probation and bail conditions.
At the time, Justice Krista Lynn Leszczynski described Hayter’s offenses as a “serious spree of offences” and expressed concern over his repeated criminal behavior.
Assistant Crown attorney Sarah Carmody noted that loss-prevention officers at Sarnia stores now recognize Hayter on a first-name basis, hoping his latest arrest serves as a wakeup call.
Defence lawyer Terry Brandon told the court that Hayter’s future in the legal system depends largely on whether he follows his post-release plan, indicating that he may either continue returning to court or stay out of trouble.
