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Cochrane man pleads guilty to charges in crash that killed four

The Cochrane man accused of killing four people and injuring another in a head-on collision on Hwy 2 near Innisfail will be sentenced in Red Deer provincial court early next year.

The Cochrane man accused of killing four people and injuring another in a head-on collision on Hwy 2 near Innisfail will be sentenced in Red Deer provincial court early next year.

Tyler James Stevens, 30 pleaded guilty on Monday to five out of 20 charges against him in relation to the March 4 collision. Police allege that a southbound SUV carrying five people crashed into another SUV that was travelling north in the southbound lanes at about 11:30 p.m.

Stevens was arrested and charged with four counts of criminal negligence causing death, one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, four charges of impaired driving causing death and one charge of impaired driving causing bodily harm and multiple counts of refusing to provide police with a sample of his breath.

Members of the integrated traffic unit named Anthony Subong Castillon, 35, Joey Flores Mangonon, 35, Eden Dalu Biazon, 39, and Josefina Flores Velarde, 52, as the four people killed in the collision. Injured was Joesphine Gaila Tamondong, 28.

All five were temporary workers who had come from the Philippines to work for an Edmonton hotel.

Acting for Stevens, Calgary lawyer Ian Savage entered pleas of guilty on four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

A written statement of facts agreed to by the Crown and defence was submitted to the court but not read into the record.

Facts will be reviewed in open court during the sentencing hearing, which was adjourned until early January to give Savage and his client time to have a pre-sentencing report prepared.

Judge Bill Andreasson noted that no victim impact statements had been issued, asking Crown prosecutor Anders Quist to make sure that the injured woman and survivors of those who were killed are given an opportunity to have their say.

He also asked Quist to make sure that any victim impact statements be submitted in time to have them translated into English if needed.

The balance of the charges will be spoken to during the sentence hearing, set for the afternoon of Jan. 4, 2013, in Red Deer provincial court.

bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com