The owner of a driving school who was accused of multiple sexual assaults has died a day after British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed he will not be charged.
Joan Wallace, Steve’s wife, confirmed to Global News he died of a massive heart attack on Thursday. She said he had been under stress for months.
Victoria driving instructor, Steve Wallace has died. His wife confirmed the news to @GlobalBC saying, “he had been under stress for months”. Wallace recently faced allegations of inappropriate touching and behavior towards his students.
— Kylie Stanton (@kyliestanton) November 26, 2021
Steve Wallace —owner of Wallace Driving School and former Mayor of Quesnel— was accused by dozens of female driving school students of sexual harassment on an Instagram page.
Many of the students claimed he inappropriately touched them while alone together in his instructing car.
Following the accusations, ICBC launched an investigation into Wallace’s behaviour and permanently cancelled his driver instructor licence in October.
Victoria Police had recommended crown charge him with three counts of sexual assault.
The fallout comes after an Instagram account, Wallace Driving School Victims, began sharing stories of alleged sexual assault by Wallace towards women and girls—some as young as 16.
The group has amassed nearly 2,000 followers and effectively become a safe space for alleged victims of sexual assault by Wallace.
