A man charged with attempting to kill a Mountie when he ran him over may be entering a plea of not criminally responsible, Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench heard on Monday.
Defence lawyer Arnold Piragoff told court there’s “a possibility of Section 16 (Criminal Code of Canada) being raised.” The section says a person isn’t criminally responsible if a mental disorder can be proved.
Kenneth Thomas Janzen, 25, of Saskatoon faces 14 charges stemming from a July 30, 2008, incident on Hwy 2.
Janzen returns to court on May 3 to enter a possible date for trial.
He was scheduled to have a two-week trial in March but that was postponed when the accused parted company with his first lawyer, Lorne Goddard.
Janzen, who remains in custody, is charged with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a vehicle, two counts of attempting to commit assault with a vehicle and two counts of criminal flight from police causing bodily harm.
He is also charged with single counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident, obstructing police, dangerous operation of a vehicle and criminal negligence.
Piragoff said he is still gathering medical reports that were conducted for Janzen soon after he was charged.
Piragoff told court that 10 days will still be required to conduct the judge-alone trial.
Janzen was charged after a vehicle struck and seriously injured an Innisfail RCMP officer who was on foot after deploying a spike belt near Antler Hill just north of Innisfail on Hwy 2.
Janzen is alleged to have swerved to avoid a spike belt and slammed into Const. Danny Knight, who suffered a severely broken leg and a head cut.
The chase ended near Olds when another spike belt disabled the vehicle and it rolled several times.
Authorities allege that two other officers involved in the pursuit were also intended victims.
jwilson@www.reddeeradvocate.com