Area man pleads guilty to careless driving, criminal negligence charge dropped

A criminal trial dealing with a young man's death last year came to an abrupt end at the Superior Court of Justice Thursday after the accused pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Thomas John Johnson, 21, of Oliver Paipoonge was expected to appear in court to face a charge of criminal negligence causing death. His four-day trial was scheduled to begin Thursday morning.

Johnson was driving a pick-up truck on Memorial Avenue in April of 2009, when another young man who was hanging onto the side of the truck fell off and was critically injured. Nelson Hamelin, 21, of Shuniah was rushed to the hospital and was pronounced dead a short time later.

Johnson's trial for the criminal negligence causing death charge was stopped when he instead pleaded guilty to careless driving.

He received a $1,500 fine, and a 12-month probation period in which he cannot drive unless it is for work purposes.

Assistant Crown attorney Trevor Jukes said he agreed to the reduced charge because it would have been difficult to prove that Johnson was aware that Hamelin was hanging on to the outside of the truck when the incident took place.