Road rage driver handed conditional sentence
Nearly a year to the day Joshua Wheatley was caught on camera running a man over in an apparent road rage incident, the 22-year-old has been given a conditional sentence for six months, including partial house arrest with a curfew.
Wheatley pleaded guilty in December to dangerous driving when South Simcoe Police said he ran into a pedestrian with his car, then sped off in early May of last year.
Wheatley, who is from Bradford, was also initially charged with assault with a weapon and flight from police. Those charges were withdrawn on Tuesday. Wheatley will then be on probation for 12 months and banned from driving for a year and a half.
The court heard the Barrie man hit by Wheatley’s car was trying to stop Wheatley from taking off after he said Wheatley backed his car into his vehicle along the ninth line while both were stuck in heavy traffic.
After hitting the man with his car, police said Wheatley then fled the scene and was eventually stopped along the 10th sideroad in Bradford, only to take off again and get boxed in by officers near the 10th line before finally being taken into custody.
The court heard the 35-year-old victim has since recovered from his injuries.
Wheatley told the court last week he was in a manic state at the time of the crash because of a steroid he was taking called Trenbolone, which his lawyer told the court has been known to cause increased aggression and violent behaviour.
“I just think on any other day, this wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t taking that stuff…because that’s not me at the end of the day,” said Wheatley.
His lawyer told the court Wheatley wasn’t trying to hit the man who had jumped in front of Wheatley’s car before being struck.
The Crown told the court Wheatley was trying to take off from the scene and did nothing to avoid hitting the man.
The Crown says, “If someone is foolish or angry enough to get in front of your car…as a driver…you’ve got to use the brake pedal. And certainly, by the time the gentleman is on his hood, that’s an option. And it is not an option that is exercised.”
Adding, “Somebody has to be the adult in the room, and nobody was.”
The Crown concluded, “You can’t bring a gun to a knife fight, and you can’t use a car against - for lack of a better term - an unarmed pedestrian.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.