A man awaiting trial for a 2010 fatal impaired driving collision will spend the rest of his time leading up to the April proceedings in custody.
It was the third and final strike for Rodney Ross Arens, 36, of Red Deer. Twice prior, Crown prosecutor Robin Snider put forth a motion to have Arens’ bail revoked after Arens was charged with breaching his conditions.
Arens was originally arrested for a July 1, 2010, incident in which he was alleged to have been impaired and crashed his vehicle into another near Bower Ponds. The crash killed 13-year-old Anouluck “Jeffrey” Chanminaraj, and injured his two siblings in the car that was hit. Arens was released on $1,250 bail.
In March 2011, he was charged with breaching conditions after he was alleged to have reported to the Red Deer RCMP detachment intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to that breach and was released. Snider made her first application to have Arens’ bail revoked but was denied.
Then on March 12, 2013, Sylvan Lake RCMP found Arens alone in a vehicle with what appeared to be a handgun that turned out to be a pellet pistol. Police believed he was either drunk, high or both, and he was eventually charged with breaching his conditions. This time, his conditions prohibited him from consuming alcohol or drugs and from driving a vehicle that did not have an ignition interlock device. Arens pleaded guilty to that breach and was released on $1,500 cash bail with a $10,000 surety.
Snider tried again to have Arens’ bail revoked but her application was denied again.
Arens was arrested again on Dec. 21 on new charges, including impaired driving, possession of drugs and further breaches of release conditions.
Snider applied on Tuesday in Red Deer provincial court to have Arens’ bail revoked.
As well, federal Crown prosecutor Dave Inglis spoke to Arens’ application for judicial interim release on the new charges.
Legal Aid counsel Murray Shack said Arens is in a very bad situation. He has an eight-week trial coming up on April 22 and he does not have legal representation.
Judge Gordon Yake denied Arens application for bail and approved the Snider motion to revoke bail.
The new drug and impaired driving charges will return to Red Deer provincial court on Feb. 23 and Arens is expected to stand trial starting April 22 in Court of Queen’s Bench for the Canada Day 2010 impaired driving collision charges.