20°c A few clouds
18°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Officer smelled alcohol at fatal crash, chief disagreed
Harry Bakema (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
Related Items
HIS former police colleague had just been involved in a high-speed crash that left an innocent motorist dead.
Nevertheless, East St. Paul police chief Harry Bakema seemed to quickly reject suspicion the off-duty officer may have been impaired despite conflicting reports at the scene, a Winnipeg court has heard.
Bakema, 60, is on trial for six criminal charges, including perjury, breach of trust and obstruction of justice, which stem from his role in the investigation of the 2005 death of Crystal Taman. The married mother of three was killed after her convertible was rear-ended by Derek Harvey-Zenk while she waited at a red light near Lagimodiere Boulevard and the Perimeter Highway.
Harvey-Zenk was on his way home from a night drinking with fellow officers. He later pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of dangerous driving causing death and was given a conditional sentence.
The failure of East. St. Paul police to properly document indications Harvey- Zenk was impaired is one of the reasons the case crumbled.
Bakema's actions surrounding the investigation are under a legal microscope at his trial. Ken Graham, a former East St. Paul officer, told court Tuesday he smelled a strong aroma of booze inside Harvey-Zenk's empty vehicle following the deadly crash, but Bakema didn't agree.
"He stuck his head in and said he couldn't smell anything," Graham said. Bakema had personal contact with Harvey-Zenk at the scene and told Graham "he could not smell any alcohol on him." Graham never dealt with Harvey-Zenk to make his own observations, court was told.
Rolland Fontaine, a paramedic who responded to the crash, previously testified about a "very noticeable" smell of alcohol on Harvey-Zenk.
Bakema also told Graham he had worked in the same Winnipeg police district as Harvey-Zenk before Bakema moved to East St. Paul.
"He said this is a mess. We have a mother, a wife, who's been killed. He felt bad for the family and bad for the kids. And he said we have a Winnipeg police member who just screwed up his career," Graham said Tuesday. Bakema told Graham he was going to assign another veteran East St. Paul officer to take over the investigation because he didn't want to create any perception of bias based on his personal history with Harvey-Zenk.
Under cross-examination, Graham said Bakema would not have deliberately sabotaged an investigation.
"Harry is not the type of guy to ask someone to change their notes," Graham said. But he described Bakema as having a very poor memory, which seemed to be getting worse around the time of the fatality.
Testimony from other officers involved in the investigation is expected today.
www.mikeoncrime.com
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 9, 2012 A4
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
06/18/2013 9:32 PM 0TORONTO — Half of Canada's First Nations children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- California 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies at 53
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Make it look natural; companies work to make packaged foods appear homespun
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Scientists meet to discuss weird British weather, say soggy summers likely for a few years
- New Flyer awarded Atlanta bus contract
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
Comments are not accepted on this story because they might prejudice a case before the courts.