A Vernon motorcyclist who struck a pedestrian with his bike will serve his jail time intermittently.
Randall A. Focht, 50, pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, and one count of failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
He was sentenced by judge Mark Takahashi to 90 days in jail on both counts with the sentences to be served concurrently, and he was also given a three-year driving prohibition.
The pleas stem from an Oct. 2, 2010 incident when Focht struck a pedestrian shortly after midnight at the intersection of 41st Street and Bella Vista Road.
He and his motorcycle were spotted shortly before the accident by RCMP in the area of 30th Street and 31st Avenue. When police tried to check the driver for a motor vehicle infraction, the motorcyclist took off. Police did not pursue the bike for safety reasons.
Focht also pleaded guilty to an unrelated impaired driving charge, stemming from February 2010, for which he received a $1,000 fine and a one-year driving prohibition, and to a pair of probation breaches, for which he received a day in jail on each count.
It was not decided if the driving prohibitions would be served consecutively.
Takahashi agreed to allow Focht to serve his jail sentence on an intermittent basis, that is he would report to Vernon cells for a couple of nights during the week, in order to maintain his business obligations.
Crown counsel Howard Pontious said Focht’s guilty pleas were a significant factor in the judgment.
“It’s a big thing because we can’t get our trials on in less than a year or two,” said Pontious. “I always think it’s good when people take responsibility, particularly when they’ve caused such horrific injuries to someone. To accept responsibility is something that doesn’t happen a lot, so it’s a good thing.”
The male victim, 49, continues to recover from the multiple injuries he suffered that night. The man received a fractured skull, serious breaks of his legs and internal injuries in the incident.
