A Squamish resident involved in a fatal crash was found guilty of drunk driving in a separate case and faces further drinking and driving charges in another incident.
Ryan Brandon Reece was one of the drivers involved in a two-vehicle crash that took place on Nov. 1, 2012. Reece was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital to be treated for his injuries and Tanya Lee Boudewyn was pronounced dead after the accident near the intersection of Government and Depot roads in Brackendale.
Witnesses were interviewed and a special unit was called in to examine the scene. The investigators' recommendations are in front of the Crown prosecutor, Squamish RCMP Staff Sgt. Brian Cumming said.
"It is a pretty complex case," he said.
The report has to go through two levels of the court system - one in North Vancouver and one in Victoria - before charges are approved, Cumming said. Until the charges become public record, police can't comment on them, he said, adding that he expects the court to deal with the report and recommendations this month.
In an unrelated case, Reece faced drunk driving charges in relation to an incident that occurred in April 2013. In May, he was found guilty in North Vancouver Provincial Court of being in care or control of a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level over .08, according to court documents. At the time, Reece was driving while prohibited as a result of the investigation into the fatal crash, Cumming said.
Reece is also scheduled to appear in court Sept. 12 in a separate matter involving alleged drinking and driving as well as operating a motor vehicle while disqualified. Reece is in custody until his court appearance, Cumming said.
Since the accident on Nov. 1, District of Squamish officials examined the Government-Depot intersection. Municipal staff deployed traffic counters at the location to determine the amount of traffic on the two roads as well as drivers' speed. Data showed the median speed of drivers travelling on Government Road was between eight and 11 kilometres per hour over the posted 50 km/h limit.
ICBC statistics shows that between 2007 and 2011, there were six motor vehicle incidents of varying severity at or near the Government-Depot intersection.
