Driver faces drug charge after girl struck by truck
The driver of a pickup truck that struck and killed a 14-year-old girl on a highway near Rocky Mountain House has been charged with trafficking after RCMP found marijuana worth an estimated $600,000 in his truck.
The crash occurred Nov. 22 around 9:45 p.m. on Highway 11, about 40 kilometres west of the town.
On Nov. 27, RCMP executed a search warrant on the vehicle. Police found 77.5 kilograms of packaged marijuana concealed within the box of the truck.
The 51-year-old driver, whose name has not yet been released, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, RCMP said Friday.
The collision happened when a teen was travelling with a group of intoxicated people in an SUV. The vehicle was stopped on the shoulder and the teen was walking on the highway when she was hit by a pickup truck.
The truck’s driver pulled over immediately to give help, but wound up in a fight with the group in the SUV.
The group put the injured girl in the SUV and began driving toward Rocky Mountain House. But before making it to town, the SUV went into the ditch. The 14-yearold was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
Three occupants of the SUV are facing charges. A 17-year-old man is charged with one count of assault with a weapon, mischief, and three counts of breach of probation.
Delphine Dixon, 48, is charged with one count of assault, and Hysteria Simeon, 23, is charged with impaired driving and provincial driving offences.