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Man responsible for fatal Shuswap Lake boat crash out on parole

Leon Reinbrecht piloted a boat on July 3, 2010 when it struck a houseboat killing the driver
23837921_web1_190206-SAA-Leon-Reinbrecht
Leon Reinbrecht (File photo)

The man found guilty of causing a fatal boat crash after Canada Day celebrations on Magna Bay in 2010 is out of prison having been granted full parole.

Leon Reinbrecht, 58, was convicted of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm in 2015.

The charges followed an after-dark collision on a July night in the North Shuswap between a boat piloted by Reinbrecht and a houseboat. The operator of the houseboat, Ken Brown, was killed and others were injured in the crash. Reinbrecht’s handling of the boat was called reckless by witnesses during the 2015 trial.

Read More: Houseboat trial coming to a close

Read More: Appeal launched by driver of boat in fatal Magna Bay houseboat crash denied

The conclusion of the case was delayed for years. Reinbrecht was not charged until more than a year after the crash and he was not convicted until nearly four year after that. In the end he was sentenced in 2016 to three years in prison which he began serving in January 2019 after spending years out on bail while attempting appeals.

Reinbrecht was granted full parole on Dec. 22, 2020, meaning he will serve the remainder of his sentence under supervision in the community.

According to the Parole Board of Canada’s decision on Reinbrecht’s parole, he had been out on day parole since July 9, 2020 and did not violate the curfew or drug and alcohol prohibition which went with it.

The decision states that Reinbrecht must not possess, purchase or consume drugs or alcohol for the remainder of his parole.

The parole board’s decision noted the harm Reinbrecht’s actions caused but also found him at a low risk to reoffend.

- with files From Kamloops This Week



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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