BONNYVILLE, Alta. – A peace officer that is employed by the MD of Bonnyville was acquitted of careless driving on Oct. 21, in relation to an incident that resulted in two deaths and several injuries during the summer of 2021.
The officer, who has not been publicly identified, was charged by Cold Lake RCMP and St. Paul RCMP Traffic Services earlier this year following an investigation into a two-vehicle collision near Ardmore that took place on Aug. 23, 2021.
The collision resulted in the death of a 25-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man from Elizabeth Métis Settlement and the injury of six others.
On the morning of Aug. 23, 2021, the community peace officer attempted to pull over a sedan carrying six occupants for a traffic safety violation.
The sedan, heading southbound on Highway 892, failed to stop for the peace officer and continued into a controlled intersection on Highway 28. As a result, the sedan collided with a pickup truck travelling eastbound on Highway 28.
In total, four of the surviving occupants of the sedan were transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the two occupants of the pickup truck were assessed for minor injuries by EMS on scene.
The community officer was later charged for careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act as a result of pursuing the evading sedan.
The officer has been on administrative duty since the accident took place, according to information released by the MD of Bonnyville.
It was not indicated if the officer would return to active duty following the acquittal.
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