Man admits to drunk-driving crash that killed a young mother on Perimeter Hwy

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This article was published 19/01/2015 (4248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba motorist has admitted to a deadly drunk-driving crash in which he slammed into a car while going the wrong way down the Perimeter Highway.

David Delisle, 51, of Grande Pointe appeared in court Monday for what was slated to be the start of his preliminary hearing. Instead, he pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm. The Crown dropped additional charges of criminal negligence and refusing to submit to a breathalyzer.

Delisle will be sentenced on Sept. 18. Crown attorney Mark Kantor told court he will be seeking a “significant penitentiary sentence” for the accused, while defence lawyer Saul Simmonds said he would be asking for something “considerably less.”

Samantha Schlichting, 21, of Lorette was killed as she was driving her 2001 Buick Century west on the Perimeter. A 23-year-old passenger suffered major injuries. Schlichting was about 1.5 kilometres east of St. Anne’s Road when her car was struck head-on by Delisle’s 2006 Chevrolet pickup truck that was headed eastbound in the westbound lane.

Delisle walked away without injury. Further details about the incident will be presented at the sentencing hearing.

Delisle was granted bail just days after the crash on conditions which included a ban from driving, prohibition from consuming alcohol and a nightly curfew.

Schlichting was survived by two young children, who were just four months old and 23 months old at the time. Friends and family set up a trust fund for the children, as their mother did not have life insurance.

www.mikeoncrime.com