Cemetery crash driver headed to jail
TONY RICCIUTO
A drunk driver who crashed his unregistered, unlicensed Cadillac into a tree near Victoria Lawn Cemetery in St. Catharines was sentenced to six months in jail and prohibited from driving for five years Friday.
But Taylor Cronkwright, 23, who has been in and out of custody on other unrelated charges, will only serve 39 more days for his drinking and driving offences. He pleaded guilty to three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm in a previous court appearance.
Cronkwright spent a considerable amount of time in pretrial custody which, when subtracted from the six-month sentence, left 39 more days to serve.
“You were entirely reckless that night. You put yourself and others in danger,” Judge Peter Wilkie said Friday in the Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines before sen- tencing Cronkwright.
The early morning incident took place on Queenston Street at about 2:15 a.m. on Nov. 12, 2014. All four people inside the vehicle were seriously injured after the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The Cadillac struck a large tree on the north side of the street and split in two.
Assistant Crown attorney Tom Jacob said the group had been drinking at a bar and staff there had been assured they had called a taxi. “That was a lie,” Jacob said. “They got in the car and had an accident. They all ended up in the hospital.”
Jacob said there were a number of problems at the scene regarding proof. All four passengers were found out of the vehicle when police arrived. Two of the injured were Cronkwright’s siblings, and they did not co-operate with the authorities.
A third passenger, an acquaintance of the siblings, suffered internal inju- ries and there was concern he may have sustained a brain injury.
When this case was last in court April 20, the judge asked for more detailed medical information, so the matter was adjourned.
The Crown provided some of that information, adding that victim had previous mental health issues unrelated to this case.
Defence lawyer V.J. Singh said his client was in custody for a long period of time and had some breaches of his terms, but they occurred around Christmas because he wanted to be with his family.
The defence asked if the 39 more days of custody could be served on weekends because Cronkwright has a job at a laundry, where he earns $350 a week.
The judge noted it was best if the accused was working, so he allowed the intermittent sentence.
Cronkwright was also placed on probation for 18 months with one of the terms being to stay away from drugs and to take any counselling that is recommended by his probation officer.