Sentencing in serious drunk crash

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/10/2014 (3465 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A drunk driver who barrelled into a police car last fall at 100 km/hr in an accident that luckily did not claim anyone’s life was sentenced in Steinbach provincial court on Thursday.

Cameron Kostash, now 25, received a nine-month custodial sentence for impaired driving causing bodily harm.

The Richer man also received a nine-month sentence for a disturbing incidence in Richer this June that caused police to barricade sections of the Trans-Canada Highway over fears Kostash may harm onlookers, himself or take a hostage.

JUDY PETERS | THE CARILLON ARCHIVES
Steinbach RCMP Cpl. Kyle McFadyen and Cst. Rob French inspect their cruiser at Steinbach Towing a day after a drunk driver ran into them. There were no serious injuries.
JUDY PETERS | THE CARILLON ARCHIVES Steinbach RCMP Cpl. Kyle McFadyen and Cst. Rob French inspect their cruiser at Steinbach Towing a day after a drunk driver ran into them. There were no serious injuries.

Kostash is in custody for another three months as a result of an earlier dangerous driving sentencing.

In total, Kostash was sentenced to 21 months of incarceration. With time already served, he will be behind bars for 13 more months.

Last September 21, an intoxicated Kostash was driving a car down a gravel road toward Steinbach shortly before 1 a.m. when he approached a stop sign. Not thinking anyone else was driving at this hour, Kostash did not stop. He should have, as he accidentally ran into a police car and sent the vehicle spinning into the ditch.

In the days following the incident, Steinbach RCMP members inside the car, Cpl. Kyle McFadyen and Cst. Rob French, said they were lucky to be alive.

The three passengers in Kostash’s vehicle only sustained minor injuries.

The court heard that Kostash made significant positive steps in the addictions facility he resided in this spring until, after being accused in an altercation with another guest, Kostash left the facility without notifying law enforcement officials.

He was discovered by police three days later, on June 12, in Richer, where he ran away from officers, brandishing a knife and threatening police that he would do anything to avoid jail.

After a chase that included the closures of both directions of the Trans-Canada Highway, Kostash was subdued by a taser.

The court heard that Kostash suffers from mental health issues. When asked by Judge Ray Wyant, Kostash said he has refused to take medication the last few years because he believes it has been unsuccessful.

More on this court case, including the judge’s reaction, in the Oct. 9 edition of The Carillon.

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