A high-profile B.C. Supreme Court trial started in Vernon on
Tuesday – a day after the man accused in the death of a police officer was mistakenly transported to the Lower Mainland.In Vernon Supreme Court Tuesday, Michael O’Brien, 25, entered a guilty plea to the charges of possession of stolen property and fleeing from a peace officer. However, O’Brien pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.The guilty pleas are an admission that O’Brien was in possession of the stolen pickup truck that slammed into a police cruiser in downtown Vernon on Nov. 13, 2004. Auxiliary Const. Glen Evely was killed instantly in the crash and Const. Frank Grenier, the driver of the police car, was severely injured.Although the trial was scheduled to start on Monday, it was adjourned for a day when it was discovered that O’Brien had been transported to Port Coquitlam. The Attorney General’s Office has yet to determine exactly why O’Brien wound up in the wrong city.In her opening statement Crown counsellor Paige Johnstone said cocaine and marijuana were found in blood samples taken from O’Brien on the night of the incident. “Mr. O’Brien appeared to be under some influence of a substance,” Johnstone said.Johnstone also recounted the Crown’s version of events that night. A pickup truck was seen swerving along Bella Vista Road in West Vernon at around 2 a.m. The truck crossed the centre line frequently and narrowly missed plowing into an oncoming vehicle.“I noticed it appeared to be going fast and it was swerving all over the road,” said Jennifer Ashton who alerted police to the erratic driver. “I remember it swerved twice completely into the other lane.”Police arrived at the Petro Canada station on 25th Avenue to find the truck parked at the gas bar and officers attempted to make an arrest, Johnstone said. Const. Turpin of the Vernon RCMP was at the front of the truck with his gun leveled at the driver while Cpl. Henry Proce attempted to smash through the driver side window using his police radio, she said.“(Cpl. Proce) was yelling at Const. Turpin not to shoot,” Johnstone said. “The corporal felt a jolt and he jumped off the running board as he felt the truck backing up.”Three police cars pursued the truck as it left the gas station but the search was called off as the pursuit neared Vernon’s downtown, Johnstone said. The truck proceeded downtown past several nightclubs where witnesses saw the driver gesturing out of the window.“He was observed with the window down to make some sort of sign with his fist and make a noise like, ‘woo hoo’” Johnstone said.The truck then ran a red light at the intersection of 30th Avenue and 29th Street running head-on into the car carrying Grenier and Evely, who were not part of the police pursuit, Johnstone said.When he was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital Johnstone said O’Brien provided a false name to police.Cpl. Blair Coates of the Vernon RCMP presented videotape evidence from seven cameras at Petro Canada station, one of which showed a truck back up towards a police car and then drive away.Coates was the first of 41 witnesses scheduled to appear during the trial which is expected to take two weeks.
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