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•T he IFP• H alton H ills, Thursday, July 25, 2013 3 e-mail: hassellsauto@bellnet.ca www.hassellautomotive.com 2008 Ford F150 XLT WarrantyWarranty 2006 Ford F150 XLT CALL 2005 Ford F150 XLT Warranty Warranty 2008 Suzuki SX4 JLX A Mississauga man was found guilty of care- less driving in Burlington court last Wednesday in the February 2011 collision on Mountainview Rd. N. that claimed the life of a Georgetown woman. Douglas Wehnde, 53, was not in Provincial Offences Court for Justice of the Peace Liisa Ritchie's decision, which came after a three-day trial in April. Wehnde had pleaded not guilty April 2. He is to be sentenced Oct. 9. Donna Reid, 48, who had a mild developmen- tal disability, was walking across Mountainview on her way to Community Living North Halton's Horizon Packaging on Todd Rd. about 9:10 a.m. Feb. 11, 2011 when she was struck by a south- bound GM Sierra pickup driven by Wehnde. Wehnde, owner/manager of Ziebart Uniglass, had just picked up the new truck and was taking it for rust proofi ng when Reid was struck. Ritchie said Wehnde testifi ed during his trial he pulled out into the centre lane and the sun was in his eyes. She said he put his hand up to block the sun, looked straight up the dedicated turn lane for Todd Rd. and saw no one. He was still accelerat- ing. Ritchie said Wehnde testifi ed he checked his passenger side mirror and did a quick shoulder check to ensure there was room to merge into the southbound lane. He then looked straight ahead, focusing south and to the right, and was planning to merge into the southbound passing lane. The sun was still an issue, and he didn't see anyone, she said. "Mr. Wehnde testifi ed that he then put on his right signal and when he turned his head back he heard a thump," said Ritchie. He initially thought he had been hit by a truck tire, but then, out of the corner of his eye, saw a woman slide to the ground. The collision was captured on surveillance vid- eo by a camera at Georgetown Toyota. In her decision Ritchie said, "A very heavy onus rests on motorists." She said the prosecution proved Wehnde drove "without due care and attention." "Specifi cally the court fi nds that the defendant was accelerating in the left turn lane, when he was not turning left, when his vision was partially obstructed by the sun. "In the circumstances, this is not the conduct of an ordinary prudent person. Ms. Reid was there to be seen. An ordinary prudent driver would not have driven 5.29 to 7 seconds while his visibility was so impaired. Such a driver would not have traveled approximately 80 metres when he had diffi culty seeing out of the left one-third of his windshield as well as directly in front of his ve- hicle," said Ritchie. "An ordinary prudent driver would not have assumed the lane he traveled in remained clear when he did not have full visibility of that lane." She said "an ordinary prudent driver" would have been alert that other users, including pe- destrians, may be on the roadway, wouldn't have driven approximately 68 metres in a left turn lane if he had no intention of making a left turn, would have stopped when he realized his vision was im- paired by the sun, and would have merged slowly and cautiously into the next lane when he ascer- tained it was safe to do so. "Mr. Wehnde's evidence is that he took none of these steps," said Ritchie. "The court fi nds that the manner of driving is considered a breach of duty to the public and deserving of punishment." A careless driving conviction can carry a maxi- mum penalty of any or all of the following: a fi ne of $2,000, six months in jail, a two-year license suspension and the application of a six demerit points and a two-year suspension of the permit for the motor vehicle. Reid was the single mother of two grown chil- dren. A victim impact statement is expected to be fi led with the court prior to sentencing. Driver found guilty in collision that killed local woman By LISA TALLYN Staff Writer Donna Reid of Georgetown was killed Feb. 11, 2011 when she was struck by this pickup truck driven by Douglas Wehnde of Mississauga. File photo Police blotter Halton Police have charged two men in connection with the May 17 entry into a trailer and two vehicles on Armstrong Ave. Entered was a locked display trailer owned by a shoe compa- ny and the two vehicles owned by a landscape company. A small quantity of cash was tak- en from the vehicles and noth- ing from the trailer. During the trailer break-in one of the suspects cut himself leaving behind blood. The blood along with video footage aided police in identifying two suspects who were charged Friday and Saturday. Charged with break and enter, posses- sion of break-in instruments, theft under $5,000 and breach of probation is Richard Leroy Hilts, 29, of Brampton. Also charged with break and enter, possession of break-in instruments and theft under $5,000 is Dustin Ervin Hilts, 20, of Halton Hills. • • • A Georgetown man is facing charges in connection with a recent vehicle break-in and us- ing a stolen credit card. Late Thursday or early Fri- day morning an unlocked car parked at an apartment com- plex on Mountainview Rd. N. was entered. Stolen was a wallet, that among other things contained a credit card. Within hours the stolen card was used three sep- arate times at two businesses in Georgetown. The total amount purchased was $90. Later Friday morning the victim discovered the car had been entered and reported the incident to police. Investigation by police un- covered video footage that aid- ed police in identifying a sus- pect and making an arrest. Charged with two counts of theft under $5,000, pos- session of sto- len property, three counts of using a sto- len credit card, and breach of recognizance is Christopher Marrow, 28, of Georgetown. • • • Police are looking for a male who shot two people with a BB gun early Sunday morning. About 12:20 a.m. a brother and sister were walking on Del- rex Blvd. north of Faludon Dr. when someone shot at them from a dark coloured sedan. One of the victims was struck in the shoulder, neither were injured or required medi- cal attention. It's believed there were three males in the vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 905-878- 5511 ext. 2415. • For more police news see page 5. Two men facing charges after vehicles broken into