UPDATE: Yesno gets six year prison sentence for role in crash that killed cyclist

THUNDER BAY -- Sheldon Yesno will serve nearly seven years in prison for fatally injuring a cyclist.

On Tuesday at the Thunder Bay Courthouse Yesno was sentenced to seven years, less credit totaling three months already served, after he previously pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death and failure to remain at the scene of an accident that claimed the life of 38-year-old Richard Terrence Vrastak.

Vrastak was the father of five children and his death leaves a significant void in the family, his sister Katherine said.

“There are still a lot of mixed emotions. It’s not going to bring my brother back. No sentence is going to end our sentence of loss,” she said tearfully.

“Every time we look into the children’s eyes we see my brother. It’s hard. The loss will be felt for years. Whether he serves the full sentence or a lesser sentence it is a permanent sentence for us.”

Superior Court Justice Helen Pierce sentenced Yesno to six years on the criminal negligence count, with an additional year to be served consecutively for the failure to remain charge.

“You are guilty of two serious offences which cost Mr. Vrastak his life,” Pierce told Yesno, who remained mostly emotionless while listening to the judge’s reasons.

While giving her reasons, Pierce reviewed the evidence presented during the case. Reading from the agreed statement of facts, she told the court on Oct. 1, 2013 Yesno and a friend sought out Vrastak after a failed drug deal.

Driving in Yesno’s minivan they found Vrastak cycling southbound on Algoma Street and twice swerved across lanes of traffic to target him, on the second time striking him and propelling him headfirst into a building.

He suffered major head injuries and died on Oct. 3, 2013.

Pierce told the court Yesno’s actions to deliberately target Vrastak were a form of intimidation and bullying which “showed wanton and reckless disregard for the safety of others” who were on the road and sidewalk at the time of the incident.

The Crown had previously been seeking a sentence of nearly 10 years while defence lawyer David Dubinsky was asking for a prison term between 18 to 24 months.

Crown attorney Dan Mitchell said while the sentence was lower than he had requested, it should serve as an example to the rest of the public.

“We felt this was a very appropriate message to send to the community and to folks this kind of conduct will be severely punished,” he said.

As Vrastak’s family continues to grieve, they recognize Yesno has six children between the ages of children who also suffer from having their father in prison. When being led out of the courtroom Yesno emotionally embraced his wife and sister.

“We just hope for some sort of rehabilitation and reconciliation of his behaviors and not to repeat for his children’s sake and his children not to,” Katherine said.

Yesno will also receive a five-year driving prohibition effective beginning on the date of his release, as well as a 10-year ban on possessing prohibited and restricted weapons with the exception of sustenance hunting and must submit a DNA sample.