Teen involved in fatal crash given time served on new charges

One of two women involved in a crash that killed two Saskatoon teens in 2014 has been sentenced on new charges of breaching her curfew and giving police a false name.

The woman, now 20, cannot be identified because she was 17 years old when she stole a truck and encouraged her friend — who was driving drunk — to run a stop sign at 22nd Street and Avenue M South in an attempt to get away from police.

The stolen truck hit a car carrying three Bethlehem High School students who were on their way to track and field practice. J.P. Haughey and Sarah Wensley, both 17, died instantly. Their friend was severely injured.

In an email written to The Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Wensley’s father, Dave Wensley, described watching the woman who played a role in his daughter’s tragic death “wave her arms around in joy” as she was released from custody Thursday afternoon.

She received 30 days time served for obstruction and two breaches. The charges stem from June 28, while the woman was still serving the probation portion of her youth sentence.

“It confirmed what I was feeling with how the judge treated a known criminal: our youth system is a shambles,” Wensley wrote.

“Are we really helping these kids going (through) the system, or just training them to be hardened criminals like the (two) that killed my daughter, Sarah?”

The passenger of the stolen vehicle was 18 years old when she received the three-year maximum sentence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act for five offences, including being a party to dangerous driving. After receiving 12 months credit for her time spent on remand, she was left with eight months of custody and four months of community supervision, followed by a year of probation.

The truck’s driver, Cheyann Crystal Peeteetuce, received a sixyear sentence for her role.

Court heard both women had been charged with prior vehicle thefts when they caused the crash.