A Thunder Bay provincial police officer has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death for his role in a 2008 two-vehicle collision that killed an 18-year-old woman.
Sgt. Darryl Storey entered his plea on Tuesday at Superior Court in Thunder Bay, more than two weeks into his trial for dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death.
Storey maintained his not guilty plea to the latter charge.
The charges stem from a collision between Storey’s unmarked OPP cruiser and another car at the intersection of Highway 11/17 and Twin City Crossroad in December 2008. Storey was on duty at the time of the crash.
Jasmine Veneruzzo, 18, who was driving the other car, was killed.
Storey’s guilty plea was accepted by Toronto Crown prosecutor James Palangio, as well as Superior Court Justice Casimir N. Herold, who’s from Guelph, who is presiding over the trial.
Storey is to return to court in January for a sentencing hearing. He is not in custody.
Storey was charged following a Special Investigations Unit probe into the collision.
In court on Tuesday, Storey’s lawyer Leo Kinahan — who declined an interview request after court had adjourned — said his client was in charge of the Thunder Bay OPP detachment’s fleet, a position he’d held for eight months after being transferred from regular duty due to post traumatic stress disorder.
The details of Storey’s disorder weren’t revealed, save that it was work-related.
Storey was testing the cruiser, which had just been repaired at a Thunder Bay garage. Witnesses during the trial’s earlier days testified Storey was travelling at a high rate of speed on Highway 11/17.
Kinahan said the Veneruzzo was travelling south on Twin City Crossroad and didn’t come to a full stop at the intersection with the highway. Storey couldn’t avoid the car and collided with it at high speed, Kinahan said.
Herold said in court, “whether or not Ms. Veneruzzo came to a complete stop . . . she didn’t have a chance” given the way Storey was driving.
Kinahan said his client was changing his plea because the Crown’s case against him for the dangerous driving charge was strong.
Herold agreed, saying that based on the Crown’s case to that point, a conviction on that charge was “almost a certainty.”
But, Herold said later, based on Storey’s explanation for his “stupid and criminal conduct,” a reasonable doubt could be raised as to the criminal negligence charge.
In accepting the guilty plea, Palangio said such pleas are generally best entered before trials begin, so as to not take up the court’s time or put friends and family of the victim through difficult days reliving terrible incidents.
A guilty plea, he added, allows for a “finality” to the proceedings, with no uncertainty as to the accused’s guilt.
Storey did not address the court on Tuesday.
He entered his plea and assured the court he was doing so voluntarily.
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