The Huron Expositor, 1998-10-07, Page 8'ti-THSJMURON EXPOSITOR, OCTOBER 7, 199$
Friend had no idea there was an accident
Trial adjourned after three weeks until January to allow further DNA testing
BY AMY NEILANiDS
Special to The Huron Expositor
Robert Consist said he had
-no idea his friends could
ha'. in an accident
when h. and another friend
went hack up County Road
31 to sec what was keeping
them.
Consist testified on Friday;
Sept. 25 before Crown
attorney Bob Morris in the
Sarah Lchcau trial.
• Lchcau faces 11 charges
relating to -thc accident that
killed Neal Atchison and
Pamela King of Clinton, and
Brian Hill and -Mark Webster
of Stanley Township. Lebeau
and Brandon Gardner of
`Vanastrawere both seriously
injured in the crash:
',cheat' has.pleadcd not
guilty to four counts of
criminal negligence causing
death. criminal negligence
causing bodily harm. four
counts of impaired driving
causing death, impaired.
driving causing bodily harm,
and driving over the legal
limit.
Friday was the last day of
testimony before the. trial
adjourned until January to
.allow further DNA testing to
he performed.
-Consitt testified Leheau's
1995 Camaro was hchind his
car_when they left a•party at
the home of Bev and Shirley
Hill near Varna in the early
hours of Nov. 24. 1996. The
occupants of the Lchcau
vehicle were to meet Consitt.
Shannon McClenaghan and
Greg Taylor at Taylor's home
about five kilometres from
the Hill's. just north of Varna
on County Road 31.
The group had ,left a going
away party for Brian Hill,
Mark Webster and David
Rathwell. -who wcre. to leave
10r Australia the following
week. Consitt testified about
.150 people were at the party
and that he didn't have much
to do with Lebeau that night
other than seeing her there.
At about 6:45 a.m. Consist
testified he left the party with
Leheau's vehicle shortly
behind them.
"I noticed them behind me
when we left Hill's and when
we fumed left in Varna (onto
County Road 31)," said
Consitt, adding he was
unsure of the exact distance
that was between them. "1
wasn't paying much
attention." He said he
remembered the last time he
saw the headlights behind
him was when he drove
down thc hill and over the
bridge.
When they reached
Taylor's. Taylor went into the
house while the other two
stayed outside. Consitt said
McClenaghan _ started
wondering where the others
had gone and said she
thought they were going to
meet them there. After a few
minutes, Consitt said they
decided. to go hack and sec
what happened to them.
"i had no idea they were in
an accident when we started
heading hack," he said.
As they crossed the budge
again and went back up the
hill, Consitt said he noticed
debris on the road that he
was sure was not there
before. When they stopped.
they noticed pieces of wood
on the road and saw that four
or five barriers were missing
from the side of the road.
By this time, • Consitt
testified, a fisherman had
come along and stopped to
help them: They couldn't sec
the car, so Consitt said he
started walking hack towards
the hridge. Along thc way he
saw the interior Tight of a
vehicle shining and went
The United Nations has declared 1999 Year of the Older
Person and appointed Oct. 1 as the day to kick off the
event. Janet Clough, Belle Robertson, Edna Tremeer,
Marilyn Hodgert, Marjorie Maloney, Mary Nolan and Hele
McKaig raised their glasses in a toast to the event as
Maplewood Manor celebrated with a wine and cheese
afternoon. Committees will be forming across the province
to help coordinate activities and raise awareness of the.
contributions older people make to their communities.
HILGENDORFF PHOTO
OPP loo
•
The Ontario Provincial
Popes. Huron Detachment, is •
now accepting applications
for its newly .announced OPP
'Cadet Program. formerly
referred 10 as auxiliary
officers.
The program will ' hire and
train 120 cadets during the
16 -month program to assist
front-line police officers.
Successful applicants will be
recruited from and then
return to work in their own
communities. '
• A total of 20 cadets will be
assigned to perform support
duties in each of thc OPP's
for cadets
six regions.
•Huron Detachment will
select and employ one cadet
who will be assigned to tasks
in the area of operational
support, thereby freeing up
officers for patrol and other
functions. The cadets will be
provided with uniforms and
equipment necessary to the
performance of their duties.
but will not carry firearms.
If interested, people should
contact the Huron OPP at
524-8314 or the OPP
Uniform Recruitment Section
in Orillia at 705-329-6660.
Library offers help
with web and bug
Want to set up web pages to promote your business?
Anthony Wilkinson, the community access student at the
Seaforth Library, says that is one of the objectives of the
community access project (CAP).
Our local library is a CAP centre.
"Individuals and businesses are encouraged to visit the
centre for for internes access and training," according to a
recent press release.
"Another objective is to raise awareness of the Year 200
problem - the much hyped 'millennium bug'."
Personal computers. fax machines, cash registers, time
clocks are at risk, as are automated devices that use
embedded microchips and program code to perform time or
date related functions.
"Simply put. there is a risk that equipment may
malfunction when dealing with dates later than Dec. 31,
1999," the press release adds.
Those with questions or concerns can contact Wilkinson at
the library (527-1430) or e-mail sealib@huroncap.org with
the word "CAP" in the subject line.
down the embankment and Lebeau's 1995 Camaro that
came av''ss the •accident was involved in the single -
scene. . vehicle crash that resulted in
"1 realised people were four deaths.
hurt so' I ran hack to my car • Mike Warner, a mechanic
and started towards at the Bayfield, Garage.
Taylor's," he said. At the testified Friday for Morris
house, Taylor called thc that when he examined
police and ambulance and the Leheau's car on Nov. 26,
two headed 1 9 9 6 ,
hack to the "everything
scene. Consitt �� had no idea appeared' to he
testified he in • working
-doe s n ' 1 they were in order."
remember much an accident He told the
about what when we court he
happened next Started ' inspected the
other than he, brake system,
assisted heading back' steering
ambulance --friend of those system,
attendants in involved in the suspension and
carrying people accident in his tires and found
up the hill. nothing
In cross testimony mechanically.
examination wrong. He
from defence '° explained that
lawyer Glenn I u p o n
Carey, Consitt said . he inspection 75.per cent of the
couldn't recall what speed he brake linins was left, thc
was travelling at tn'm the 'rums and :.'tors were in
Hill's to Taylor's. In a good shape. the steering and
statement given by Consitt in suspension systems were
1997, he said he thought he bent hut everything was in'
was travelling at 110 to 115 tact. and the tires, while they
kilometres per hour going had varying amounts of wear.
down the hill and over thc would have passed a.safcty
bridge. inspection,
Carcy also questioned him While the car was at the
on the distance between his garage.. Warner said a police
car and Leheau's. • officer came to remove the
"On the first segment of brake pedal pad from the car
the road to Varna. they and added that the driver's
weren't tailgating me but 1 floor and pedal were shoved
am unsure of the distance." -up towards the dash making
Consitt said. "I know there it "not very easy to recover."
were headlights. behind me." Through cross examination
He also added that Lcheau's by Carey. Warner testified
car seemed further behind that because of the -damage to
after they turned at Varna. the car. it would he hard to
"it was further back when I say if these parts were in
was going down the hill than working order, h_cforc the
it was at Varna." he said. accident.
adding that he wasn't paying Warner also testified that
much attention to the exact Leheau's car had an antilock
distance. braking system.(ABSi. which
No mechanical problems had, heen mechanically
were found in Sarah damaged. hut he said he was
unsure if damaged had been
done to the computer
controls of the ABS.
Asked by Carey if he has
seen an ABS fail, Warner
replied that he has and added
that if this occurs, the car
may have no brakes. '
"i can't say that occurred
prior to this accident
happening," he said.
The trial has been
underway for the past three
weeks for Lebeau who faces
11 charges relating to the
fatal car crash. '
In the early morning hours
of Nov. 24, Lebeau's 1995
Camaro left County Road 31
north of Varna and crashed at
the bottom of an
embankment near the
Bayfield River. Witnesses for
thc Crown testified that the
vehicle was travelling at
speeds in excess of 150
kilometres per hour when it
Icft, thc road and that no
occupants were wearing seat
belts.
The Crown alleges that
Lebeau was the driver of the
vehicle and has had a number
of witnesses who testified
that they saw her in the
driver's seat, and who said
that given her injuries and the
position she was found in at
the accident scene they have
no doubt she was the driver.
The defence has raised
doubts about the occupants'
positions in the car since
police testified no one was
wearing seat belts when the
vehicle became airborne after
-leaving the mad, crashed into
an embankment, flipped over
and landed on its wheels. The
defense has raised the
possihilty that Lebeau was
sitting on the middle console
in the front of the vehicle.
The voir dire to determine
the admissahility of evidence
of Lebeau's blood tests ended
Friday morning. Judge Tom
Granger will rule on the
admissibility of the evidence
on Dec. 8:
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