A Pennsylvania man was charged Thursday with two Motor Vehicle Act offences in the death of a Nova Scotia RCMP officer who was providing roadside help in eastern New Brunswick when a utility van collided with his cruiser.
RCMP said there was not enough evidence to charge Vasiliy Meshko, 31, of Wilkes-Barre with offences under the Criminal Code.
Const. Francis (Frank) Deschenes, a northern New Brunswick native, died at the scene on Highway 2 near Memramcook after he pulled over on Sept. 12 to help two people in an SUV change a tire.
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Meshko was represented by his lawyer in Moncton provincial court, where he was charged with driving without due care and attention and failing to move over.
The defence requested an adjournment to Friday, when Meshko is to enter a plea.
Three vehicles, including a RCMP cruiser, were involved in the collision on Highway 2 near Memramcook, N.B. (Wade Perry)
βIn a news release, Southeast District RCMP said they completed their investigation into the crash.
Failing to respect move-over law
Deschenes, a 12-year veteran who worked for the national police force in Amherst, was on duty with traffic services at the time of the crash, RCMP said.
He was in uniform and in a marked police vehicle.
Accident scene on Highway 2 near Memramcook0:56
In 2013, New Brunswick passed the "move over" law, which requires drivers to slow down and, where possible, move into the left lane when emergency vehicles are pulled off the road with their lights flashing.
Video gathered at the scene showed a van and an SUV, but the RCMP cruiser appeared to bear the brunt of the impact.
Corrections
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An earlier headline over this story said the driver appeared in Moncton court. In fact, he was not in court but was represented by his lawyer.Dec 14, 2017 1:56 PM AT
