Impaired driver who ran stop sign sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for fatal collision

Tessa Adamski · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 1:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Family members of an 82-year-old pistillate from confederate Manitoba wiped tears from their eyes and hugged each different wrong a Winnipeg courtroom connected Tuesday arsenic the drunk operator liable for causing her death was sentenced to four-and-a-half years successful prison. 

Alexander Joseph Grogan from Stonewall, Man., sat silently successful tribunal with his hands clasped during his sentencing proceeding earlier Manitoba provincial tribunal Judge Keith Eyrikson aft being convicted of impaired driving causing decease and 2 counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm in the decease of Marilyn Warkentin, 82. 

Court heard Grogan, who was 29 astatine the clip of the collision connected March 11, 2023, had drunk intoxicant astatine a societal lawsuit earlier helium got into the driver's spot of his pickup motortruck and travelled southbound connected Road 3 East with a passenger, 28. 

He blew done a halt motion without slowing down and collided with an eastbound SUV connected Highway 415 containing 3 radical from Teulon, Man., located astir 55 kilometres northbound of Winnipeg.

Warkentin, a rider successful the vehicle, died astatine the country conscionable southwest of Teulon.

Warkentin's son, Terry Warkentin, who was driving the SUV, and her husband, Jacob Warkentin, were taken to infirmary with non-life threatening injuries.

Grogan and the rider successful his motortruck were not injured.

"For immoderate reason, Mr. Grogan blew consecutive done that halt motion and deed that car and deprived the Warkentin household of their matriarch, deprived the Warkentin household of a loving member, deprived not lone Jacob and Terry of their bid of mind, but the extended household successful total," Eyrikson said. 

He likened the interaction of losing their loved 1 to an atomic weaponry that has caused irreparable harm successful their lives, and recalled however the household described their grief in the victim interaction statements they made astatine a erstwhile tribunal hearing.

An obituary posted online says Warkentin was a wife, mother, grandma and large grandma who loved to thrift, sew, crochet, enactment successful the plot and read. 

Grogan was charged with 4 counts but two were stayed. He was tried connected Aug. 13-14, 2024, connected charges of driving impaired causing decease and driving impaired causing bodily harm. 

No anterior driving violations

His lawyer, Matthew Gould, said Grogan invited a conviction, akin to pleading guilty but different successful that pleading blameworthy entails formally admitting to the charges, making it hard to appeal. 

Court heard Grogan was driving 100 km/h in a 90 km/h zone and had a humor intoxicant level of 0.02 implicit Manitoba's bounds of 0.08. He had nary anterior driving violations nether the Highway Traffic Act, nary transgression grounds and was assessed arsenic having a debased hazard to reoffend.

Gould argued for a three-year condemnation for impaired driving causing death, 2 years that would beryllium served concurrently connected charges of impaired driving causing bodily harm, and a two-year driving ban. 

Gould said helium didn't judge a credible statement could beryllium made for Grogan to person a greater condemnation due to the fact that the aggravating factors successful the case, including his humor intoxicant level, his mode of driving and his driving history were not the astir superior compared with different cases wherever drivers had treble the blood intoxicant bounds and had been travelling astatine a higher speed. 

Crown lawyer Brendan Roziere argued for a six-year condemnation for impaired driving causing decease with the aforesaid concurrent charges connected causing bodily harm listed by the defence. 

"The court's eventual task is to enforce a acceptable and due condemnation that ensures that there's nary escaped ride, that everything's being accounted for," Roziere said. 

Sending a message

When Eyrikson delivered his determination successful court, helium said it was important for Grogan's condemnation to nonstop a connection to deter radical from drunk driving, speeding and going done halt signs oregon postulation lights. 

A connection that this behaviour "will beryllium treated with seriousness and that the assemblage volition look to cognize that radical are not receiving slaps connected the wrist," helium said, adding that impaired driving is the starring transgression origin of decease and wounded successful Canada. 

Court heard Grogan is simply a trained electrician who worked for the Canadian National Railway since 2017. While helium chose not to talk successful court, his pre-sentence study showed remorse, Eyrikson said. 

Grogan was joined by 17 members of his family, who sat teary-eyed, and had 101 letters of support, tribunal heard. 

"Mr. Grogan, you person a precise supportive family, there's nary uncertainty astir that," Eyrikson said.  "They stay steadfastly down you and privation that this had ne'er happened."

Eyrikson sentenced Grogan to 4 and fractional years successful national situation with a two-year concurrent condemnation for causing bodily harm and a 10-year driving prohibition.

He past turned to four Warkentin household members successful tribunal and 2 listening online.

"While these words can't connection much, I anticipation astatine the extremity of the day, that this process tin supply astatine slightest immoderate peace," helium said. "You each merit to determination past this."