2 guilty pleas in crash that killed RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett
Kenneth Fenton, 29, has pleaded guilty to two criminal counts in the death of 32-year-old RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett.
Fenton pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death in a Colwood B.C. courtroom today.
Beckett died April 5, 2016 when the marked police car she was driving was struck by a pickup truck in the Victoria suburb of Langford, B.C.
"This kind of thing impacts everybody," said Colwood mayor Carol Hamilton who attended the court hearing today and said the entire community mourned the 11-year RCMP officer who left a husband and two young children behind.
At the crash scene more than a year ago an eyewitness reported seeing a speeding truck.
Jordan Coons tried to free both drivers from their vehicles after the impact.
"They were just mangled," said Coons at the time.
"His truck was right on top of her. His bumper was right inside her window."
Fenton had a history of driving infractions, including an impaired charge in 2010. He was found guilty of a lesser offence of driving without due care and attention.
He was also sued in connection to a roll-over outside Victoria in May 2016 that left a female passenger in the truck he was driving with injuries, according to civil court documents.
The hearing set for Fenton to enter a plea was delayed several times, as plea discussions continued.
Beckett's family expressed frustration over this, but say the prosecution reached out and kept the family informed.
Fenton was originally charged with five counts in Beckett's death, but three of those charges are expected to now be stayed, according to Dan McLaughlin of the Criminal Justice Branch.
The maximum penalty for dangerous driving causing death is 14 years. A life sentence is possible for the second charge of impaired driving causing death.
