Jeremy Shannon Reid was believed to have been living in a halfway house in the Stephenville area since he was granted day parole in November after serving less than eight months of a four-year sentence for a drunk driving accident in Labrador. The incident killed a man and seriously injured a woman.
The fatal hit and run happened in Wabush on Dec. 5, 2010. A passing cab driver discovered two seriously injured people, Shane Mercer and Leisa Penney, in the road and both were flown to St. John’s for treatment.
Mercer, 30, died of his injuries 11 days later. Penney is recovering from her multiple injuries.
It would be a frustrating couple of months before Reid was arrested and charged in early February 2011. He was granted bail shortly after his initial arrest, but was taken back into custody in May 2011 after violating conditions of his release, including a court order not to drink and to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.
In April 2012, Reid was sentenced to four years in prison after entering guilty pleas to criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm. He was given a credit of 340 days for time served prior to his sentencing.
Charges related to him being impaired and leaving the scene of the accident were withdrawn after the guilty pleas were entered.
Reid, who was granted day parole Nov. 20, is not eligible for full parole until later in 2013.
That eligibility may now be in jeopardy as he has been taken back into custody.
The Correctional Service of Canada has confirmed that Reid is “under our supervision,” but said privacy legislation prevents the federal agency from elaborating on why he is back in custody. A spokesperson for the agency said the process involved for someone returned to custody while on parole involves an investigation into the reason, and a decision made on the person’s status.
The spokesperson could not offer a timeframe for how long that process normally takes, saying that would depend on the circumstances of the case.
gkean@thewesternstar.com
Twitter: WS_GaryKean
