A Lumby couple accused in a case of criminal neglect that led to the death of a child four years ago have entered not guilty pleas in provincial court.
Brian William Harold Chciuk and Keisha Mari McCrea are both charged with one count of failure to perform the legal duty to provide the necessities of life.
In a Thursday court apearance, the two pleaded not guilty to the charge and elected to be tried by judge alone, confirmed Damienne Darby, communications counsel for the BC Prosecution Service.
Chciuk and McCrea’s next court appearance is March 13 before a judicial case manager to schedule a date for a pre-trial conference before a judge. The pre-trial conference is expected to take place after April 2.
Vernon North Okanagan RCMP assisted BC Emergency Health Services in the Lumby area in responding to the child on April 4, 2020. The child was flown by air ambulance to Kelowna but died early next morning.
The RCMP Southeast District Major Crime Unit and the BC Coroners Service were engaged to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragic death. Chciuk and McCrea were charged as a result of the investigation.
McCrea was born in 1994. Chciuk’s age is not disclosed on court records due to a publication ban.
Social media posts indicate McCrea and Chciuk were engaged. Chciuk is from Quesnel and moved to Lumby in October 2019.
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