Pubdate: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 Source: Ottawa Citizen (Canada) Section: Front Page Copyright: 1999 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/ Author: Gary Dimmock, The Ottawa Citizen DRIVER IN CRASH THAT KILLED TEENS HAD MARIJUANA IN SYSTEM: POLICE Eight More Charges Laid Against Youth After June 27 Tragedy A Kanata youth charged in a June 27 crash that killed five of his classmates had smoked significant amounts of marijuana before the accident, police forensic experts said yesterday. The youth, 17, has been charged with five counts of impaired driving by drug causing death and three counts of causing bodily harm. The teen, whose identity is shielded by the Young Offenders Act, had already been charged with five counts of criminal negligence causing death and three counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. In all, the teen now faces 16 charges in connection with the fiery, chain-reaction crash that killed five youths he had known since grade school. Yesterday, at the boy's home, his parents were struggling with the news of the additional charges. "It's sad," said the boy's father. "We're taking it one day at a time and we're trying to cope." After the crash, emotions ran high in Kanata. Some said being accused of causing the deaths of five friends was punishment enough. Others said they should throw the book at him. The families of some of the dead schoolboys expressed sympathy for the accused boy and said prosecuting him would gain nothing. The debate prompted Javed Chaudry, the father of one of the boys who died, to write a letter to the Citizen. In the letter, published on Aug. 5, Mr. Chaudry said he was shocked that some readers did not support legal action against the boy. He said such criminal charges confirm the rule of law and order, and serve as a reminder that everyone is accountable for his or her actions. "As far as remorse is concerned, the young driver in question was seen enjoying himself with some friends at a local McDonald's restaurant just a couple of days after I had buried my dear son," Mr. Chaudry wrote. He continued: "My son, an outgoing and smart kid, will never come back home. I will never again be able to hug him and kiss him. The other four parents who lost their sons must be missing them the same way. "I must emphasize that the law must be allowed to take its course. It must also be established whether or not the young driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident," Mr. Chaudry wrote. The investigating officers put hard facts before emotions. "One could quite easily feel that we're being unfair by laying serious charges," said Const. Paul Arnold of Perth OPP. "But if the evidence is there to support the charges, we are bound to lay them no matter the circumstances." On the night of the crash, the boys, aged 16 to 18, drove to the Perth area in four cars. They were heading to an end-of-school party, but either never found it or decided to turn back because it was too late. They stopped for hamburgers and headed for home, driving in a convoy along Highway 7 just east of Perth, about 85 kilometres southwest of Ottawa. The stretch of highway was straight and clear. Around 1 a.m., police say, the accused, who was driving the last car in the convoy, attempted to pass the three cars ahead of him. Some of his friends said he was being reckless and feared he'd be killed the second he pulled out on the oncoming lane. He managed to pass two cars before colliding head-on with a westbound pickup truck pulling a stock car on a trailer. The passing vehicle hit the truck, which then hit another car, causing deadly debris to spray across the road. The leading car in the convoy was not hit, and its occupants were not injured. The driver of the passing car, the accused, suffered minor injuries. His passengers, Stan Thomson, 18, and Alan Siew, 17, died. Homayoun Chaudry, the driver of the second car, was killed instantly by a flying piece of the truck's steering column. Slowing the car to avoid the crash, he died trying to save his friends. The third car burst into flames after hitting the truck. The driver, Dustin Record, 17, was killed, as was his passenger, longtime friend David Rider, 16. The driver of the pickup truck, Tim Cole, 40, and his passenger, Max Beyore, 37, of Bowmanville, suffered serious injuries and have since been released from hospital. Yesterday's additional charges follow toxicology tests conducted at the Centre for Forensic Sciences in Toronto. The accused was charged during a brief court appearance in Smiths Falls yesterday morning. He is to appear in court again on Sept. 27 in Perth. He has yet to enter a plea and, by all accounts, has expressed remorse. He attended four of the funerals, has sent flowers to the mourning parents and apologized. The only funeral he didn't attend was in honour of Homayoun Chaudry, one of his close friends. The teen couldn't attend that ceremony because he was still in hospital at the time. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D