The suspect in a deadly vehicle crash in Brackendale a year ago surprised a North Vancouver courtroom Tuesday (Nov. 5) when he abandoned his bail bid.
Ryan Brandon Reece has been in custody since Sept. 12 and was scheduled for a bail hearing on charges of criminal negligence causing death, impaired driving causing death and causing an accident resulting in death. The charges stem from a fatal Nov. 1, 2012 collision that killed Tanya Lee Boudewyn, a 44-year-old Squamish mother of two children.
Later this morning, after (Reece and his lawyer) had discussions, he changed his mind and does not seek his release at this point in time, but does wish to set a trial date, Crown counsel Lindsay Herron told Judge Joanne Challenger.
Those are my instructions. He's consenting to remand," said Hollis Lucky, Reece's lawyer.
The bail hearing was delayed from Oct. 3 so that Lucky could ponder evidence. Reece was in court for the Tuesday hearing. He avoided eye contact with the victim's family, which filled the first two rows of the courtroom. The matter was adjourned to Nov. 18 for arraignment and trial scheduling.
I have never seen the man. I don't know him, Boudewyn's father, Ron Patterson, said outside court. All we know that there's an arraignment that comes on the 18th and it's nice that he's still in jail.
Reece was scheduled to go on trial Jan. 20 and 21, 2014 on a list of charges from an Aug. 19, 2013, incident in Squamish, but court heard that Reece wanted to enter guilty pleas on those charges. Reece was accused of willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer, escaping from lawful custody, taking/occupying a vehicle without consent of the owner and operating a vehicle while disqualified. A hearing on the August charges is scheduled for Dec. 6.
On May 1, Reece was guilty of driving while over .08 blood alcohol content as a result of an April 8 incident in Squamish.
