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Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Public safety demands jail sentence, judge decides in fatal 2021 drunk driving crash
Quinton Courchene was found not guilty of being behind the wheel in a drunk driving crash that killed his uncle, but he hasn't escaped a jail sentence. Courchene, 48, stood trial last year accused of switching seats with his passenger and victim, 65-year-old Bradley Courchene, before emergency responders arrived at the Pine Falls-area crash scene on Nov. 8, 2021. Provincial court Judge Rob Finlayson ruled while there was no conclusive evidence Courchene was driving at the time of the crash, security video left no doubt he was behind the wheel a short time earlier when the two men left the Papertown Inn bar. Finlayson acquitted Courchene of impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death and convicted him of the lesser offences of impaired driving and dangerous driving. On Wednesday, Finlayson sentenced Courchene to 16 months in jail, rejecting a defence recommendation he be allowed to serve a conditional sentence in the community. 'Both individuals who were in the vehicle in question were severely intoxicated,' Finlayson said. 'Neither one of them should have been behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. The risk that was taken because of the intoxication of both individuals resulted in the horrible death.' Finlayson said Courchene poses an ongoing risk to the community and pointed to a criminal record that includes a prior conviction in 2009 for impaired driving, as well as flight from police and assaulting a police officer. 'A real jail sentence is the only sentence that is consistent with public safety and (denouncing) the accused's actions,' Finlayson said. Outside court, Bradley Courchene's daughters Crissy Courchene and Linsay Courchene remained adamant Quinton was driving at the time of the crash. Crissy Courchene said the family had cut all ties with Quinton Courchene in 2009 following an 'incident' and concerns about his lifestyle. Crissy alleged Quinton was exploiting her father prior to his death. 'My dad was a good, kind man; he didn't turn anybody away,' she said. 'Naively, he opened his door to dangerous people. We kept telling him Quint is not safe, he shouldn't be around here.' Defence lawyer Zach Kinahan argued at trial earlier this year that Quinton and Bradley had swapped positions in the vehicle a short time after leaving the Papertown Inn bar and that no witnesses could place Quinton in the driver's seat around the time the vehicle went off the road. Security video shows both men drinking at the bar that evening and Quinton walking out, getting into the driver's seat of Bradley's 2017 Jeep Patriot and driving away at a high rate of speed. Due to the location of the security camera, the video did not capture Bradley Courchene entering the vehicle, nor was he visible as the vehicle left the parking lot, Finlayson said in his December 2024 ruling. A motorist testified she was driving on Highway 11 a short time later when Courchene's vehicle came up behind her at high speed and veered into the oncoming lane in an attempt to pass her. Courchene's vehicle returned to position behind the woman's car and then tried to pass her on the shoulder when the vehicle slid into the ditch and struck an embankment. 'In the absence of any evidence to the contrary… I believe that the court can infer that Mr. Quinton Courchene was still operating the vehicle when the incident with the (motorist's) vehicle occurred,' Finlayson said. A short time later, Courchene's vehicle was in a ditch just metres away on the other side of the highway, the driver's side of the vehicle flat against the ground. Emergency responders arrived to find Bradley Courchene in the driver's seat area, with his legs wedged under the console. Quinton Courchene was in the back seat. 'So my question is: if Quinton Courchene was driving the vehicle at the time of the fatal incident, how did Mr. Bradley Courchene locate himself in the driver's seat and then get himself lodged into the seat in such a way that his legs were underneath the centre console?' Finlayson said. When the vehicle landed on its side, both occupants would have come to rest on the driver's side, especially if they weren't wearing seatbelts, Finlayson said. If Bradley Courchene was in the passenger seat, Quinton should have remained in the driver's seat following the rollover, because there was nowhere else to go. 'And if he wasn't, the only logical explanation… is that Quinton Courchene wasn't in the driver's seat to begin with.' Finlayson said he could not rely on evidence Quinton Courchene had replied 'yes' when a police officer asked if he was driving, given his state of intoxication and degree of comprehension. A pathologist testified Bradley Courchene died as a result of a broken neck in combination with acute alcohol intoxication. At the time of his death, he had a blood-alcohol level of .386, more than four times the legal limit for driving. Finlayson ruled that evidence of Quinton Courchene's blood-alcohol level was inadmissible, finding that police did not demand a breath or blood sample from him until 90 minutes after the rollover. 'Due to the inexcusable error of the RCMP, the Crown was not able to prove the actual blood-alcohol level of Quinton Courchene,' Finlayson said Wednesday. But the testimony of police and emergency responders at the scene and other witnesses, who said Courchene was slurring, stumbling and had a strong smell of alcohol, was sufficient to establish he was 'grossly intoxicated,' Finlayson said in his earlier ruling. Court records show Courchene has prior convictions for theft and weapon offences and is set to stand trial next year on sex assault charges. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean. Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Yahoo
Troy woman killed in US 2 collision
Jul. 14—A 70-year-old Troy woman was killed Thursday, July 10 in a head-on collision in Lincoln County. The wreck happened at about 1:25 p.m., on U.S. 2 at mile marker 12 near Troy, according to a Montana Highway Patrol incident report. The woman was driving a Jeep Patriot east on the highway when she drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a GMC Sierra driven by a 36-year-old man from Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The woman died at the scene of the crash. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report. The driver of the GMC was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. Road conditions were listed as clear and dry.
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Woman seriously hurt in hit-and-run in Fort McMurray; RCMP need help finding vehicle
Police in Fort McMurray need help to locate a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run early Thursday morning. It happened around 3:25 a.m. at the intersection of Parsons Creek Drive and Paris Crescent in the Timberlea area. A 65-year-old woman suffered serious life-threatening injuries after being hit by a vehicle. Police said the driver left the scene without helping the woman. The vehicle involved is believed to be a light-coloured SUV, possibly a Jeep Patriot. Police believe it will have damage to the front corner bumper and signal light. Anyone with information about the hit-and-run or that has video from the area between 3 and 4 a.m. is asked to contact Wood Buffalo RCMP.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
Guy Drives On National Mall After Letting Intrusive Thoughts Win
We've all had moments where we thought, "I bet it would be cool to drive there," but then never actually did it. Well, one guy in Washington, D.C. let those intrusive thoughts win, and it was all caught on camera. Around 8:30 p.m. on June 21, the driver of a Jeep Patriot decided to take the scenic route through the National Mall in D.C. while it was full of folks who were enjoying the warm summer evening. Luckily no one was hurt, according to NBC 4 Washington, but it was still an intense and dangerous scene. Video shared with the outlet shows the car driving close to pedestrians several times as they do their best to get out of the way of the car. The Patriot can be seen driving in circles around the mall as officers on motorcycles try to corral it to limited success. After a while of GTA-style antics, the driver left the mall and pulled back onto the street. Eventually, police were able to catch up to the driver and arrest him, NBC reports. There's no word yet on what charges he'll be facing, but if I had to guess, they're going to be pretty severe. He's expected in court sometime on June 23. Read more: These Are The Best Engines Of All Time, According To You Fox 5 DC spoke with people who were on the Mall at the time of the incident. Ferdous Al-Faruque, who recorded the video of the incident, told the outlet that he first thought it was "an undercover cop or an unmarked vehicle." It didn't really capture his attention until it pulled onto the grass, paused there and then "started going right into the mall." Here's what else Al-Faruque told Fox 5 he saw: "There was a lot of people. And I think you can get in the video there were people on the grass. Just enjoying themselves, having a picnic, this is why I love DC is that it's the kind of place you can go out and hang with people out in the open like that. There's open spaces. And unfortunately, this guy decided he was going to drive in the space and put people's lives in danger," Al-Faruque continued. Somehow, no one was injured in this whole situation, which is a minor miracle in itself. Still, let this be a lesson to you all: just because driving where you're not supposed to be seems like a good idea, it really isn't. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Woman accused of purposely striking woman with Jeep
Bellmead, Tx (FOX44) – A 27-year-old woman is accused of ramming a female pedestrian with her vehicle during an argument in Bellmead Tuesday. Dasheka Vonte Wiley was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the incident which occurred outside the Econo Lodge on the I-35 North access road about 6:35 a.m. Tuesday. An arrest affidavit filed in the case stated that Wiley had been in an argument with the father of her child and another woman. The affidavit stated that the victim slapped Wiley's 2017 Jeep Patriot with her hand and Wiley drove away. The affidavit stated that moments later, the Jeep returned and was angled toward the victims with Hickey being hit. The affidavit stated that the jeep was driven around in what was described as an attempt to strike the victim another time. Police located Wiley and took her into custody and she was booked into the McLennan County Jail where she remained Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
