MLA Derek Fildebrandt convicted of hit and run
Strathmore-Brooks Independent MLA Derek Fildebrandt was found guilty in traffic court Monday and ordered to pay a $402 fine after a hit-and-run.
“I’ll accept whatever the traffic court says,” he told reporters after the sentencing, adding that he planned to pay the fine immediately.
A former neighbour had accused him of the hit-and-run that damaged her van in June 2016.
In September, the embattled MLA denied having anything to do with the collision, saying he was likely in an early morning meeting at the Federal Building.
But he couldn’t prove his alibi, the court heard Monday.
“There was no record of who was there,” said defence lawyer Dale Fedorchuk after the ruling. “It was difficult to find someone who said, ‘Yes, I remember that specific date and I remember him sitting in that meeting,’ and that’s the problem frankly that we faced.
“Mr. Fildebrandt was obviously disappointed,” he added.
Provincial prosecutor Lorna Mackie said the neighbour had an unobstructed view of Fildebrandt’s red Ford F-150 Lariat pickup backing into her van and driving away, and she identified him as the driver.
“It was not a hurried or fleeting observation,” said commissioner Stewart Douglas in his ruling Monday.
The neighbour, Amy Rawlinson, took down Fildebrandt’s licence plate the following day when she saw the truck again, Mackie said.
Police charged Fildebrandt under the Alberta Traffic Safety Act for leaving the scene and failing to notify the owner of a damaged vehicle.
“Mr. Fildebrandt, acting upon the belief that he had not been in an accident, had simply not left a note,” Fedorchuk said Monday. “He is convinced his vehicle is not involved in the collision.”
Fildebrandt testified his truck — which he traded in about a month after the alleged collision — had a rear-view camera and sensors that would prevent a crash.
He also asserted that his neighbour may have confused him with someone else.
The court case is the latest in a string of controversies for Fildebrandt, who left the United Conservative Party caucus in August to sit as an independent after it
Mr. Fildebrandt ... is convinced his vehicle is not involved in the collision.
was revealed he had rented out his taxpayer-funded apartment on Airbnb and double-dipped on meal expenses.
Premier Rachel Notley said in an interview Monday the result makes her wonder whether the legislature is the place for Fildebrandt.
“Obviously, I’m sure he’s still interested in getting back into the UCP, and we’ll have to see whether Mr. Kenney lets him back in or not,” Notley said.
Fildebrandt also faces two hunting charges after killing a deer on private land.
He said he thought he was on Crown lease land, about 255 km southwest of Edmonton. He is scheduled to appear in Didsbury provincial court Feb. 2.