The trial of a Wellington County OPP officer charged with careless driving has been adjourned until March 13 at 10am at the provincial offences court here.
The trial involving OPP Sergeant Roger Woods, of the Mount Forest detachment, was first adjourned to Jan. 14 after four days of testimony in late December. On Jan. 14 those attending the trial, including crown witness OPP Constable Susan Blacklock, were informed a continuation of the adjournment had been granted.
A spokesperson for the Crown Attorney’s office in Kitchener said no reason was given for the extended adjournment. The file is currently being held by Crown attorney Robert Butler.
In December justice of the peace Anna Hampson put a publication ban on testimony given by Blacklock on the final day of the four days of hearings.
She made her ruling after a voir dire, a trial within a trial, to hear testimony from crash scene reconstructionist Blacklock, who testified in support of the crown’s theory that speed was a factor in the Nov. 14, 2011 crash that injured a Mennonite buggy driver and killed his horse Buster. The justice said she imposed a ban on publication of evidence presented on the final day of testimony before the adjournment pending her ruling on whether the evidence will be admissible when the trial resumes in provincial offences court.
Woods faces a careless driving charge in connection with the early morning accident that severely injured farmer Onias Frey, 61, who spent five weeks in hospital in Mount Forest and Hamilton being treated for his injuries and continues to recover.
In earlier testimony, OPP crash scene expert Staff Sgt. Paul Nixon concurred that speed was a factor in the crash.
In the December testimony, Paralegal Scott Thibaudeau, representing Woods, indicated he is challenging the way information from the black box in Woods’ Ford SUV was collected by police.
On the first day, the trial also heard from Frey and two of his relatives.
Frey told the court he remembers nothing from the day of the accident. He said he suffered “13 or 14 broken ribs, crushed collar bone (and had his) spleen removed.”
“I’m not fully recovered yet,” he told the court. “I haven’t got my strength back.”
Frey said his memory is “coming back” since the accident and after he was released from hospital on Dec. 19, 2011.
The victim said he harbours no ill will towards Woods.
The victim’s younger brother Levi also testified about the assistance Woods offered while his older brother was in hospital. However, he added, the accident has aged his brother “10 to 15 years and some of his idiosyncracies are more pronounced.”
Levi Frey said he met Woods after the accident.
“He said, ‘It was all my fault, your brother did nothing wrong.’ He also said it was a pretty bad day for him.”
Butler has indicated Woods may have been travelling faster than the 50 kilometre speed limit posted on Sligo Road.
Woods was off-duty at the time of the crash. He was officially charged three months after the accident.
The OPP released his name only after repeated requests from the Advertiser.
January 18, 2013, by Kris Svela
http://www.wellingtonadvertiser.com/ind ... tmno=15195