In April 2012, Reid was sentenced to serve four years in prison after he entered guilty pleas to charges of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Those charges stemmed from a fatal hit-and-run in Wabush on Dec. 5, 2010. Shane Mercer, 30, died of his injuries 11 days later, while Leisa Penney was seriously injured.
Alcohol was deemed to be a contributing factor in the accident, but Reid was not arrested and charged until February 2011.
The families of his victims were upset when they learned Reid, who had spent 340 days in custody prior to being sentenced, had been granted day parole in late 2012.
According to a decision sheet recently filed by the National Parole Board, Reid had returned to the halfway house, where he was residing while on day parole, on Dec. 27 smelling of alcohol and had his day parole suspended.
In a post-suspension interview, Reid said he had made an acquaintance through Facebook and drank beer with her at her residence that evening.
The conditions of his day parole prohibit Reid from consuming any alcohol since substance abuse, particularly using alcohol, has been identified as a contributing factor to his criminal behaviour.
In a decision rendered Feb. 21, the National Parole Board decided to revoke Reid’s day parole altogether because he had returned to drinking alcohol just 25 days after his release into the community.
“The board considers that your use of alcohol demonstrates your lack of insight of the factors that have influenced your criminality and the ease to which you can place yourself in risky situations,” the parole board said to Reid in its decision. “Your actions to not maintain your sobriety also show a lack of motivation and understanding of the stressors and triggers that are part of your offence cycle.”
The board also noted that no new release plan is being recommended for consideration at the time of this decision because Reid’s “risk is no longer viewed as manageable.”
Should Reid’s day parole suspension be lifted, the board said the plan would be for him to return to the halfway house again.
gkean@thewesternstar.com
Twitter: WS_GaryKean
