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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-01-27, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2011.Fleeing suspect reached 220 km/hour: officerContinued from page 14Leslie said he activated his cruiser’semergency lights and attempted tostop the Camaro.Almost immediately, Leslie said,the Camaro began to pull away at ahigh rate of speed and Leslieengaged in a chase. He eventuallyhad to call off the chase, he said, inthe interest of public safety, as hewas reaching speeds of 180 kilome-tres per hour and was still not gain- ing any ground on the Camaro. He estimated, as part of his testi- mony, that the car was travelling at speeds in excess of 220 kilometres per hour in a zone with a speed limit of 90 kilometres per hour. After calling off the chase, Leslie returned to Wingham to interview employees of the Mac’s Milk store he knew the driver of the vehicle has visited just before leading him on the high-speed chase. He spoke with two employees, both of whom testified at the trial and both of whom were familiar with the driver of the car, identifyinghim as Lance Stafford, a regular cus-tomer who had just bought a cartonof cigarettes from the store beforeleaving and encountering the police.Harper English and Karla Green,both former Mac’s Milk employeestestified to being in the store whileStafford bought the cigarettes. Theyboth had similar testimony whichidentified Stafford as a regular cus-tomer and as the driver of the Camaro. Their identification of Stafford was tied strongly to his jacket, which they both described as a distinctive and detailed NASCAR jacket. The Camaro belongs to Stafford’s friend Ron Ward, who was with Stafford in the store and then in the passenger seat of the car, several wit- nesses testified. Green testified that she was out- side, standing by her car as it warmed, smoking a cigarette after Stafford’s transaction had taken place. Green said that she saw Ward and Stafford run across JosephineStreet and get into the Camarobefore leaving the parking lot in thecar. English’s statement was virtual-ly identical to that of Green’s.Both Green and English testifiedto seeing Stafford, with his distinc-tive jacket, getting behind the wheelof the Camaro before the car droveoff. As the car exited the parking lot,Green said, she could already hearsirens from a police car (which turned out to be Leslie’s cruiser) eventually seeing the police car pur- sue the Camaro north on Josephine Street just a minute or so after the Camaro left the parking lot. Mathers called Stafford to the wit- ness stand where he testified that he and Ward had been working earlier in the night, readying cars for demo- lition, and that they went into Wingham to buy cigarettes and get a coffee. At no time, he said, was he at The Anchor Pub in Wingham, saying that Leslie’s testimony was unfound- ed. Stafford’s testimony had severalinconsistencies, both with his earlierstatements and with the testimony ofboth Green and English.He stated that he did buy the ciga-rettes from Mac’s and that he thentravelled across the street, but whenhe re-emerged, he said, he and Wardhad switched coats because “[Ron’scoat] was warmer” than his. This,Stafford said, could have been whyhe was “mistakingly” identified as the driver of the Camaro. He said that because the car was Ward’s, that he wasn’t legally allowed to drive it, as he isn’t listed as a driver on the car and therefore he would not be insured while driv- ing it. The 20-year-old Stafford, who was 19 years old at the time of the inci- dent, initially said that he had never been behind the wheel of Ward’s car that night. Ward had driven the pair into Wingham and upon returning to the car, he turned to Stafford and said “Want to have some fun?” before driving off to elude the police,according to Stafford’s testimony.Hunter called Green and English“excellent witnesses”, saying that heaccepted their testimony “withoutquestion”. Hunter also calledStafford’s testimony “not believ-able”.At the time, Stafford had no priorrecord, but Donnelly reported thatthere have been further unrelatedincidents since Jan. 13, 2010. Prior to sentencing, Mathers said that Stafford had recently been dis- charged from the Canadian Armed Forces for “a number of reasons” and was currently working as a farm labourer and asked that the fine imposed on him be on the “low side”. Hunter found Stafford guilty and imposed a 12-month driving prohibi- tion and a $750 fine, which Stafford now has six months to pay. He was also required to surrender his dri- ver’s licence to the court clerk after being found guilty. Continued from page 11 bushels from an average crop, and low nitrogen can lead to losing 13 bushels. Using a good genetic vari- ant of corn can prevent losing up to 20 bushels, and good population can make as many as seven bushels more. Good quality crops, according to a later part of Erb’s presentation, are a result of well-cared for roots. “Roots are paramount,” Erb stated. “Roots need to stay active longer, and better roots make for a better yield. If you want a 300 bushel yield, that starts below ground.” Other issues Erb touched upon included farming and pricing cycles and equipment. Continued from page 17 led to Coburn’s home, where she was seen outside, Donnelly said, stand- ing by her car, which had extensive front end damage. At first, Donnelly said, Coburn denied any involvement, but eventu- ally admitted that she was in the car, but had not been driving. Because the driver had allegedly been injured as a result of the collision and was unable to contact the police, the onus now fell on Coburn to contact the police, which she did not do. Coburn was charged $85, plus the service charge, bringing her total to $110. She was given 90 days to pay the fine. DRUNK IN PUBLIC Dreanne Blackbird of Lucknow was charged with one count of fail- ure to comply with the terms of her probation in that she was found drunk in public on May 18, 2010 along the Wingham Community Trail. Teresa Donnelly said that police were called after witnesses saw a young girl rolling in the ditch along the trail. Those who called the police, Donnelly said, said the girl appeared to be very intoxi- cated. Police arrived and found Blackbird in a state where she was “highly intoxicated, falling off of the path- way, falling into the brush, rolling around, not responsive and her speech was incomprehensible” according to Donnelly. It was a term under her probation that she abstain from the consump- tion of alcohol, be in good behaviour and keep the peace. Blackbird’s defense attorney Phil Cornish expressed that Blackbird has had very little stability in her life and that both Blackbird and members of her family have been repeatedly involved with the law, alcohol addic- tion has been an ongoing issue and there have been substantial financial struggles over the years. Both Cornish and Donnelly sug- gested that Blackbird, who is of Native descent, be connected to a Native counsellor who works out of the Walkerton Jail in order to curtail some of her behaviour. Cornish, however, said that Blackbird is already on the road to recovery. The 20-year-old, he said, is currently 15 weeks pregnant and has recognized the significance of the pregnancy and has abstained from alcohol since finding out about the pregnancy. “I think [Blackbird] is on the way to making some positive changes in her life,” Cornish said to Hunter prior to Blackbird’s sentencing. Blackbird was given an additional 12 months of probation with a rec- ommendation for Native counselling out of Walkerton. Continued from page 1 webisodes is one more step closer to Bolger having her own television series, an idea that she finds quite appealing. “The more people see it, the better chance I will have to continue selling the brand,” she said. “The more attention it gets, the more credibility I’ll have for my own series.” By hosting the webisodes, which were filmed in Bolger’s own kitchen, The Food Network is providing her a chance that they don’t usually give. “It’s really nice that they have given me this chance,” she said. “I don’t think they do it a lot. People who have shows on the network get to do things like this, but they don’t offer the chance for people who don’t.” The advancement of The Happy Baker brand doesn’t stop there either, according to Bolger. She stated that she has signed with several companies looking to further advance the book and the brand, including a production company that is marketing a show similar to the webisodes around and a firm in Los Angeles that will be looking to sell the ideas behind the book as a sit- com. Erb speaks to grain farmers Woman found drunk on Wingham Community Trail Food Network gives Happy Baker webisode series 9 Rattenbury St. E., Clinton, ON N0M 1L0 Ph.: 519-482-9924 ~ 1-888-235-9260 Res.: 519-524-9260 Check out RRSP and RRIF plans designed to meet your needs. GIC, Mutual Funds, Seg. Funds Invest in your future today! RRSP DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2011 Have you ever considered planning your financial future? See Lawrence for a free consultation. To receive, consider and approve of the 2010 financial statement and auditor’s report; To appoint Auditors; To elect three qualified Directors for a term of three years; The retiring Directors are William Millson, Brad Carno- chan and Tom Dawe who are eligible for re-election. To approve proposed amendments to the company by-laws. To transact any other business that may properly come before the meeting. Any qualifying policyholder wishing to seek election must file their intention to stand for election in writing with the Secretary of the Company at least twenty one days in advance of the Annual Meeting. (By-Law No. 21 (d) ) By order of the Board of Directors McKillop Mutual Insurance Company Seaforth, Ontario Ken Jones, FCIP Corporate Secretary The 134th Annual Meeting of the Members 9, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED