A man charged in relation to a 2016 car surfing death is set to stand trial.
Byron James Walterhouse, born 1976, appeared in Vernon Law Courts for a preliminary inquiry before Judge Jeremy Guild in courtroom 302 Monday, Sept. 17.
“My instructions from Mr. Avis is that he will not be pursuing with the preliminary inquiry this morning and that he’s asking for a consent committal on all counts,” said Claire Mastop, acting as agent for defence Jonathan Avis.
Walterhouse is charged with criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving causing death and failure to stop at an accident causing death in relation to a June 1, 2016 incident that claimed the life of 27-year-old Spallumcheen resident Justin Roger Martyn.
Related: Charges laid in car surfing death
Vernon RCMP was called to a report of a single-vehicle rollover collision with one fatality at the end of Tronson Road, just north of the intersection with Garmisch Road, at 12:30 a.m. June 1, 2016.
At the time, investigators determined a man had been riding on top of the vehicle, or roof-surfing, as the 2007 Dodge Calibre left the travelled portion of the road and rolled over.
Police said there were three occupants inside the vehicle — two men aged 35 and 40 as well as a 27-year-old woman.
The woman stayed at the scene and spoke with police. The two men walked away from the scene, police said. RCMP spoke with one and the second man later attended the Vernon detachment and was released without charges at the time.
Walterhouse will appear next in Vernon Law Courts Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. to fix a date for trial. The charges against him have not been proven in court.
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