A Belleville woman has pleaded guilty to operation of a vehicle causing death in the 2021 fatal incident at Meyers Pier.
According to an agreed statement of facts presented to the court, Belleville police officers responded to multiple calls regarding a vehicle driving off Meyers Pier and into the Bay of Quinte at 4:22 a.m. on June 28, 2021.
When police arrived, they spotted damage to the field barricades at the pedestrian entrance of the pier.
Police located and pulled a woman out of the water and transported her to the Belleville General Hospital.
The woman was identified as 36-year-old Stephanie Osborne.
After pulling Osborne out of the water, a police officer located a vehicle belonging to 63-year-old Lawrence Tilander near the site of the damage. A hat with the word “security” on it was also located on the ground near where the vehicle had gone into the water.
Tilander was working for Maxama Security and had been working security in the area. The agreed statement of facts states that Tilander was sitting on the bench at the time of the incident.
With help from Belleville Fire, emergency personnel were able to locate the body of Tilander at approximately 7:10 a.m. that same day.
Several exhibits were submitted by the crown to the court, including a 14-second video of CCTV footage showing the vehicle plunging into the water.
One of the exhibits included a technical collision investigation report, stating Osbourne’s vehicle was going 66 km/h at the time of the incident.
The crown is seeking a custodial sentence while the defense is seeking a conditional sentence.
A pre-sentencing report was ordered.
An assignment court hearing is set to take place on July 26 to determine dates for a future sentencing hearing.
