HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 1999-06-02, Page 5THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Jun* 2, 1999-5
Sarah Lebeau wouldn't
drive after d
bottle and had poured a
Friends and family testify second tint couldn't drink it.
in fourth week of trial -•
By Amy Zoethout
Goderich-Signal-Star Staff
Friends and family of
Sarah LeBeau testified the
week of May 19 that she is
'an average driver who rarely
drives over the speed limit
and would never drive under
the influence of alcohol.
• LeBeau's trial adjourned
May 20 aftcrthree weeks of
testimony and will resume
June 7.
LeBeau faces ll - charges
stemming from a Nov. 24,
1996 accident that resulted in
the deaths of four arca
youths. The 22 -year. -old.
• Bruccfield. woman has been
charged with four counts of
criminal negligence causing
death, one count of criminal
negligence causing bodily
harm. four -counts of
--impaired driving' causing
death.. one count of impaired
driving' causing bodily harm.
.and driving over the legal
limit: .
The accident occurred in
the early morning hours on
Nov. 24. 1996 when
LeBcau's- 1995_ Camaro left
County Road 31 -north of
. Varna. hit an embankment,
became airborne, and rolled
over on its roof before
- coming to rest on all `four
• wheels near the Bayfield
River. Killed in the accident
'were Neal Atichson and
Pamela King both of Clinton.
and Brian Hill and. Mark
Webster of - -Stanley
Township. The group was
leaving a going away party at
Hill's residence for Hill.
Webster and David Rath_wefl
who . ware t6 -leave • for
Australia.
LcBeau's sister Becky
testified last Wednesday that
• it st•as (he look of the Camaro
that attraeted.LeBcau to it
when she bought the ear.. ..
w as a nice ear." she
said. -,adding that since the
two sisters worked together.`
Becky often drove :in
LcBcau's car.
" She's an• average 'driver,"
said Becky, adding that she
Wiiuld -rarely drive- over the -
speed limit. "She was a good
driver." •
Asked by defense attorney
Glen'Carey if LeBeau would
drive 140-160 km/hr the
Camaro was- stated to have
been driving at the time of
the accident'. Becky said she
would not drive like that.
Becky described LeBeau
as a "social drinker" and
could recall only one or two
limes when she has been
intocaled.
•'•11 she:had been drinking
she wouldn't drive, said
Becky. adding that it was
• LeBeau's custom that if she
did have too much to drink
she would either • stay f.
overnight at a friend's house,
go home with someone else,
or call for a ride home.
"i don't recall at anytime
-.her..drinking and dri�ing�:
said Becky.
It was. also LeBeau's
custom to lend out het car to
friend. and 'family. Becky
testified,
"it didn't bother her to lend
.it out." she said. •
The of the Hill party..
Becky said she picked up her
boyfriend Brandon Gardner
on her way home from
church. The couple went
hack to her parent's house
where they picked up Amy,
one of their other sisters,
before going to the party
around 9:31) p.m. Becky said
she knee LeBeau was
planning on going to the
party hut didn't see her there
until Becky and'Amy were
about to leave •.around
midnight.
"She was fine," said
Becky, of LeBeau's condition
at that time. She added that
she didn't see LeBeau
drinking that night.
"Were you aware that
Sarah had a number of • '
speeding problems?." asked
Crown attorney Bob Morris
"during cross examination,
citing a number of speeding
tickets LeBeau has received.
Becky said she 'wasn't•
aware of these tickets, and
when asked if this was the
Sarah she knew. said she may
have been in a hurry at the
time of the tickets.
"I'm suggesting she's a
driver. who drives fast." said
Morris.
"I wouldn't say she's a fast
driver," Becky replied.
Amanda Lee travelled to
the Hill party on Nov."23,
1996 with LeBeau. The pair
have been friends for about
10 years she said and added
that over the years she has
driven with LeBeau on many ,
• occasions. Lee described
• LcBcau's driving habits as
"nothing ',out of the
ordinary". and .said. that she
would drive nomore than 95
km/hr. -
"I trusted my children to
.go in the car with her." said
Lee. ' -
'Lee also testified that
LeBeau often let others drive
her car.
- "If somebody needed to do
something she let them drive
her car," she said.
Neal Atchison drove a
sports car as well, Lee
testified. She said that'
Atchison liked his car and
liked to show off in it. He
would speed through town
and squeal his tires, she said.
Lee described on one
occasion when he -played.
chicken with her and her
friends.
"It came pretty close." said
Lee. "He -swerved in at a
good time because we would.
have hit if he didn't."
On the night of Nov.. 23,
1996.. LeBeau called up Lee
and ,asked her to come to the
Hill party with her, since Lee
had recently had a baby and
hadn't been out for along
time. she .said. She met
LeBeau at. Shannon
McClenaghan's house in
Clinton and said that LeBeau
seemed sober.--R—
"She hadn't been
drinking." said Lee. "I would
have smelled it.''•
• • The pair drank •a small
glass of wine that LeBeau
had brought with her before
leaving for the party.
Lee testified that she
brought her own alcohol,
pina colada mixed with rum
and poured into an empty
bottle of Bailey's Irish
Cream. This bottle was found
in LeBeau's trunk at the
accident. scene. Lee testified,
after looking at a photograph
of the bottle in the trunk, that.
it was her bottle.
Lee said she spent most of
the night.with LeBeau and.
recalls seeing LeBeau -have
only two drinks at the party.
"She was fine," said Lee,
commenting on her sobriety.
_''There were no concerns."
While out at LeBeau's car
getting ' another drink,
McClenaghan told both Lee
and LeBeau to come along to
someone's car. Lee said they
just went along with the
group of about seven.
"I didn't want to be left
out," she said. The group
went to the car to smoke a
marijuana cigarette, but Lee
said both her and LeBeau
passed on smoking some of
it.
' By 4:30 a.m., Lee said she
was offered a ride home by a
friend who lived in Blyth,
where she was living, and
said goodbye to LeBeau. p
"I had no concerns about a
her sobriety," said Lee of t
LeBeau's condition by this d
point, adding that she had no a
concerns of her driving a
vehicle. d
Through cross examination p
by Crown attorney Bob
Morris, Lee testified that she a
had only one drink of pina
colada out of the Bailey's
Morris. produced the
Bailey's bottle that -was
found in the car and poured
Lee a glass and:asked her to
identify the drink.
-‘That'S Bailey's." she said
"i know l poured pina colada
into the bottle."
Morris- suggested Lee
made up the story and
attributed the bottle to herself
to help her friend.
"I was sober," said Lee. "I -
know what I did:" -
Lee also said that- she
wasn't with LeBeau the
whole evening and she could
have had more drinks that the
ones she saw her have.
"I wasn't keeping track,"
she said.
LeBeau's mother Susan,
took the stand Thursday. She
testified herand her husband
often had "open discussions'
about drinking and driving.
She said they tried to teach
them to be responsible and to
stay overnight, • 'have; a
designated driver. or call
home for a ride if they have
had too much to drink. She
added that they left it up to
their five daughters. to
determine how much was too
much.
"I have no knowledge of
her ever drinking and
driving,"- said Susan of her
daughter Sarah. "She'd never
done that."
- Several months after.that
accident; Susan said she went
to see the car, which was
being housed at Denway
Auto •near •Bayfield. She said
she looked through the car
and found coats and two
pairs of shoes in the trunk.
Susan and her brother put the
shoes in a box and brought
them home where her. and
, her husband -,Jim took photos
of them. One pair ''was
identified as Neal Atchison's
and another was a pair of
deck shoes. -The shoes -were
later taken by the police for
testing.
LeBeau's father ' .Jim
testified that he had also
went to the car at Denway
Auto to examine it,. adding
that he was "looking for
something. that would prove
my daughter's innocence."
He added that when the
police collected his
daughter's shoes. they would
be collecting -everyone's
.shoes from the accident;
LeBeau's shoes were the
only ones that. were. picked
up.
"I think they were
fingering our daughter." he
said. . .
Jim also had problems with
LeBeau's Camaro.' He said
after LeBeau had brake
problems in United States
in August, 1996, he took the
car out for a test drive and
said he only had about five
per cent,braking power. He
said he drove it to the dealer
in Goderich with very little
braking power. but by the
time he got to Goderich
"there were brakes."
The dealer looked at the
car, and, couldn't find
anything wrong_with the
brakes. Jim said he wasn't
aware if the problem with the
brakes came up again.
Through cross examination, .
Morris pointed out that the
car drove more than 12,000
kms. from that point.until the
accident with no problems
with the brakes. '
Carrie Ansley, 22, was an
acquaintance of LeBeau's
through mutual friend
Shannon McClenaghan.
On the night of the party.
Ansley testified she drove
her mom's van to
McClenaghan's around 9:30
.m. shortly before LeBeau
rrived. She said she couldn't
ell if LeBeau had been
rinking but she had brought
Icohol to McClenaghan's.
Ansley said they all had a,
rink before leaving for the
arty around 10:30 p.m.
They went in LeBeau's car
nd she added that she
thought LeBeau was "fine".
"Ldidn't have any concerns
with herdriving," she said.
When they arrived at the
Hill's, Ansley said they all
took a drink out of the trunk
of LeBeau's car before going.
in to the shed where the party
was being held.
`Throughout the night.
Ansley.. said she doesn't
recall • seeing - LeBeau -
drinking, but added she had
little interaction with her at
the party. .
Under cross' examination.
Ansley said she was probably '
drunk.. at the party, but
-couldn't say bow much sh'e:
had to drink.
Asked if she remembers
picking up Amanda Lee to
- bring her to McClenaghan's,
Ansley said she didn't think
she picked her upand that
she wasn't sure how Lee got
,to McClenaghan's.
Ansley said she stayed at a
friend's house that night and
said she left early the
morning of Nov. ;24 to go
home. Morris asked her if
she picked her mom's van up
at McClenaghan's and
Ansley said no.
"I don't remember. Maybe
i didn't drive it," she said. "t
don't know. how I got to'
Shannon's."
- Jeremy Jongejan came tb
know LeBeau through his
wife Lisa in the - summer .of -
1996.. -
That summer. he said.
while in Grand Bend, he and
Lisa ran into'LeBeau who
asked the couple is they .
would drive her Camaro
- home for. her.
Jongejan said they drove
'the car home and he added.
that "the vehicle handled .;
fine...There was an indicator
light on the dash. I'm not
sure which one it was."
He also testified that -he
saw LeBeau at the Hill party
and can't remember seeing
her drinking. -
'1 saw her at a distance and
that: was about ate•.". said-
Jongejan: "I can't comment.
on her sobriety."
Jongejan came to the party
with Lisa. Lisa Finch and
Judy;Elliott. the latter two
testified earlier for the
Crown. Jongejan said they .
_were all drunk and 'he
"wouldn't trust them to -drive
my law_.nn ower that's forte.
sure.'
The LeBeau trial adjourned
last Thursday until June 7:
The defense is cspected to
-wrap up its c.ise by the end
of that week with closing.
statements scheduled for the
following week. The trial,
which began last September.
is being heard by Justice Tom.
•Grangerof London.
Two children injured
after car slides in gravel
Two children were treated
and released from Clinton
Public Hospital after a
single• vehicle collision on'
May 25 at 11:15 p.m. on
Sideroad 10 in Godcrich
Township •just off . of
Highway 8.
A 1988 Buick, driven by a.
39 -year-old McKillop
Township- ' man, was
travelling eastbound on
Sideroad 10 and attempting
to navigate a curve in the
road when it slid on gravel,
entered the south ditch and
struck a tree.
A 10 -year-old and five-
year-old received minor
injuries and the vehicle
received severe damages:
No charges will be laid: -
Child's wagon, toy stolen
A child's wagon and a
cultivator toy, valued at,
$440, were reported stolen
from Sills Hardware in
Seaforth on May 14 at I 1;30
a.m. •
The toys had been put on
display outside the store on
the sidewalk.
Anyone- with related
information is askedrto call
Crimestoppers or the' Huron
OPP. ,
ANNOUNCEMENT
Patients of Seaforth-Medical Clinic
28 Centennial Drive
Seaforth, ON NOK 1WO
To expand our service in the Geriatric Area
Dr. Mark Woldtii:k
will be absent from his practice here
June 1, 1999 December 31, 1999
He will continue seeing his patients
at
Huronview
Huronlea .
Seaforth Manor
Maplewood Manor
During his absence - Dr. John Yee
Dr. Mike Rondilla
Dr. Rob Ghali -
will -be seeing his patients in our office.
- OFFICE HOURS -
Phone: 519-527-1770 for appointment
r Mon 9 - 5', Tues. 9 --5, Wed. 9 -12, Thurs. 9 - 5, Fri. 9 - 5
•
Footweor for all
your sporting needs. :
1/lr-
5111471.7710
22 Wellington Si Stratford , +.
TAP
-Usborne &
Hibbert Mutual
Fire- Insurance
Company
Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S1
' (Established in 1876)
Provides Full Insurance
Coverage for
Farm Properties
New Applications Are Welcomed
DIRECTORS & ADJUSTORS
Joe Nile. R R 5 tithe! 3469705
lion Feeney. R R. 2 Ottii 3452360
tarry Gadnei. 0.R. 2 S b 3452679
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. AGENTS
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►ad Otte, Exeter 23603.50
A refund from surplus was
declared for all policy hold-
ers who qualify, ere on
record end in good standing
as at December 31, 1998.
74144 *ea
The Seaforth Farmerette's Broomball team' would Tike to. thank
the following...who without them, the team never would have
experienced the great successes that they did this past
season,.. along with winning numerous toumaments throughout
the year, the team also finished first in league play, won the
Seaforth play-offs, won the gold medal at the regional
championships and were FINALISTS, WINNING THE SILVER
MEDAL -AT THE CANADIAN NATIONAL BROOMBALL
CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NEW BRUNSWICK. (Their biggest
accomplishment yet!') WAY TO GO- GIRLS.:.WELL DONE
FARMERETTES!!!!
Thanks so much to our pick-up players - Cheryl Kruse, Heidi
Elliott, Chris Patchell, and Vickie King.
A special note of thanks to our massage therapist "Denise.
Boudreau"
With much appreciation to all of our sponsors Progressive Turf
Equipment, C.L. Marshall Farms, Arthur Chrysler, People's
Choice Shoes (Hanover), Tony Arts Financial, Archie's Service
Centre, Peter Mathonia Feed .Co., Manulife (Rudy Jansen),
Avonbank Farm Equipment, Dr. Douglas Palmer, Dr.. Fowler
(Chesley), Knights Of Columbus (Walkerton), Watson Trucking,
Seaforth Chiropractic Centre, Rob Cornelis (D.J. Service), Pizza
Train, Seaforth Automotive Industrial Supply, MDL Doors.
.TMP,_CW .Referees,. Stewart Lumbar, Fleming Feed Mill, Cuddy
Foods, McGavin Farm' Equipment, The -Me -stage -Exchange;
Jack and Jill Daycare (Guelph), Waterloo Manufacturing (J.
Wright); Eric Huber & Co. (Guelph), Box Furniture, Cardno's
Men's Wear, Huron Tractor, MacLeans Sports of. Exeter, The
Huron Expositor, Seaforth Jewellers;- Paul ("Wally")Pearce,
Craig Kerslake (Kerway Farms),;Hildebrand Paint and Paper,
Hildebrand Flowers. -
A very special thank -you to our coaching staff , Jerry Wright,
Frank Verbeme, Georgina Reynolds, and Brad Finlayson....and
a "behind the scenes* thank -you to Lynn Devereaux: '
"WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU, -THANK -YOU
SO VERY MUCH"
The Farmerettes.
You are invited to attend
these area churches
St. Thomas
Anglican Church
Jarvis St. Seaforth
Rev. Robert Hiscox
482-7861
Sunday, June 6"
Anniversary Sunday
Service of Holy Communion
at 930 a.m.
First Presbyterian
Church
Godertch St W Seaforth
WORSHIP SUNDAY 11 15 AM
Sunday School during Worship
June 5th
Yard & Bake Sale
527-0170
Bethel Bible Church
An Associated Gospel Church
Now Meeting at 120 Main St.
Seaforth (formerly Canadian Tire)
9.45 a m. Bible School
1100 Worship
'COVENANT OF COMPANIONSHIP'
Small Group Meetings Weekly
Pastor Doug Corriveau 522-0070
• CAVAN
(WrKhrop193` a m. e
NORTHSIDE •
.
(GodariM St. $Vlore+) 11 CO a m.
UNITED CHURCHES
WON- Rev Jan. KuaptW S?7-2535
uaca,nsercc.an.ce
1Sis awaate Janes vat SurMay •Mn us'
Juni& Chow peewee 'WHY 7' at nOMs,Oe
lunch lateen* Noce salts Somas
700 0. m. 'M Evwnq we+ tra Kuaohra' a+
Cavan
Egmondville
United Church
Rev. Judith Springett
Worship 11 a.m.
Sunday School
Grades 2 to 8 10 a.m.,
Nursery to Grade 1 - 11 a.m.
Catholic Church
Masses
Victoria St., Seaforth
Saturday - 5:15 pm
St. James Parish, Seaforth
Saturday - 7:15 pm
St. Joseph's Parish. Clinton
Sunday - 9:00 am
St. Michael's Parish, Blyth
Sunday - 11:00 am
SI. James Parish, Seaforth
Father Dino Salvador