CHATHAM, Ontario – A Dresden woman is awaiting sentencing after being found guilty of impaired driving causing death in a crash that took the life of her friend. Arielle Wall, 22, was convicted in September after her vehicle struck a tree on Longwoods Road near Louisville, resulting in the death of her friend Gabrielle Emery, 19.
The sentencing hearing for Wall was scheduled to begin on December 18 but was adjourned due to the assistant Crown attorney’s inability to continue with the case. Consequently, new dates were set for the trial to reach its conclusion, with sentencing submissions scheduled for January 18, and the sentence to be delivered on February 6 by Justice Russell Raikes.
During the trial, the judge had to make a decision without some key evidence after the Chatham-Kent police officer who did a reconstruction report on the fatal crash did not testify, leading to the withdrawal of the dangerous operation of a vehicle charge by the Crown.
The judge’s decision to find Wall guilty of impaired driving causing death was influenced by her not taking the stand to testify in her own defence. Wall’s lawyer requested a pre-sentence report, noting that Wall has no prior criminal record and requested that she continue to be remanded out of custody.
In an obituary, Emery was remembered as the “treasured daughter” of her late father and mother, leaving behind a boyfriend, grandparents, and extended family. Wall’s fate will be determined in early February, where she faces the possibility of a significant sentence.