SUMMERSIDE —A guilty plea is expected in the case of a 57-year-old Summerside man charged in connection with a fatal October crash.
Roger Irwin Faithfull is charged with impaired driving causing death, driving with a blood alcohol level over 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood causing death and impaired driving stemming from the Oct. 15, 2012, single-vehicle collision that took the life of 53-year-old Paul Gerard Cormier, also of Summerside.
All charges are indictable, meaning stiffer sentencing if convicted.
Faithfull appeared recently in provincial court in Summerside, represented by public defender Trish Cheverie. Cheverie requested the case be adjourned to
another day when there would be more time to deal with the matter.
She told Judge Jeff Lantz that at the next court appearance, although a plea has yet to be entered, facts would be presented and sentencing adjourned to allow for a presentence report to be prepared — an indication a guilty plea is coming.
Crown attorney John Diamond noted the “facts are pretty well resolved.”
The case had been adjourned in January due to a delay with the autopsy report, which, at the time, was called a key piece of evidence in the case.
Several members of Cormier’s family were in court for Thursday’s proceedings.
According to information released by police at the time of the collision, the vehicle in which Cormier was a passenger, crossed the centre line on Route 2 in New Annan and the alleged driver — Faithfull — overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll over into the ditch on the opposite side of the road.
The accident happened shortly after 2 p.m.
Cormier was taken to Prince County Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Faithfull was taken into custody and allegedly failed a breathalyzer. He was released from custody shortly after.
Diamond or Cheverie did not indicate if Faithfull would be pleading guilty on all charges against him.
Election and plea has
been adjourned until Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.
