Former Pelham resident Michael Bond, 53, appeared via Zoom in a Welland courtroom last Wednesday morning, to address charges against him dating back to November 30, 2019.
Bond was behind the wheel of a vehicle which struck and killed a 66-year-old Ridgeville woman walking along Effingham Street. Bond is charged under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act with careless driving causing death, driving while under suspension, driving with no valid vehicle license, and operating an unsafe vehicle.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Bond has been provided with a legal aid lawyer from Toronto to handle the most serious charge, careless driving causing death. The matter has a trial date of September 20 to 22.
The accused has asserted that the pedestrian stumbled into the path of his vehicle. However, police have reported that visibility was clear and road conditions were excellent, there was no oncoming traffic, and the accident occurred on a straight section of roadway.
On the lesser charges, Bond told the court that he has no funds to pay for lawyers, and accordingly plans to provide his own representation. He currently lives in a hostel in Toronto.
Bond was instructed by the court to get in touch with Crown prosecutor Marie Strub to deal with the lesser charges, and would appear back in court on October 18 to address them.
