The day after he was accused of driving drunk and mowing down two women on a busy St. John’s street, Leo Jerome Power stood before a judge.
The 48-year-old of North Harbour, St. Mary’s Bay, made his first appearance in provincial court Thursday afternoon.
He showed no reaction as he was led past a handful of reporters who waited for him outside Courtroom No. 7.
Power faces 10 charges: two counts each of impaired driving causing bodily harm, exceeding the legal limit of blood alcohol causing an accident resulting bodily harm, hit-and-run involving people and four counts of hit-and-run with vehicles.
Prosecutor Bill Cadigan said the Crown will proceed by way of indictment, which means, if convicted, Power would face a harsher sentence.
Power was remanded into custody for a bail hearing today.
He was arrested Wednesday night after a horrific series of accidents on Topsail Road in the west end of the city.
As a result, two women are clinging to life in hospital.
Both were struck by a grey pickup allegedly driven by Power. They suffered life-threatening injuries.
As of Thursday evening, their conditions remained unchanged.
The women — ages 22 and 24 — were walking together on Topsail Road at approximately 9 p.m. when they were struck by a pickup truck.
The vehicle somehow carried the 24-year-old victim 85 metres west on Topsail Road. She was found at the intersection of Topsail Road and Columbus Drive. The same vehicle that carried the woman also struck a truck at this intersection.
The grey pickup truck continued west and crashed into three vehicles at the intersection of Topsail and Hamlyn roads, where Power was arrested.
From the point where the women were struck and where the pickup stopped was about 600 metres and involved three separate collisions.
“I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite so serious in a number of years,” said RNC Const. Suzanne FitzGerald at a news conference Thursday morning.
According to court documents, Power has a minor criminal record which is dated. He hasn’t been in trouble with the law for more than 15 years.
In 1993, he was convicted of theft under $1,000, while in 1989, he was convicted of possessing narcotics.
Meanwhile, sidewalks on Topsail Road were snow-covered at the time of the incidents, forcing pedestrians to walk on the street.
When The Telegram contacted St. John’s public works director Paul Mackey about the uncleared sidewalks, he said they are cleared according to priority.
“We have a sidewalk program, approved by council, and we follow that,” Mackey said.
“It’s done in sequence and that’s underway. Obviously, it takes time.”
The first phase of the sidewalk clearing program includes areas with schools and hospitals, with major thoroughfares done next.
“Yes, it would be great to be doing them all,” Mackey said, “but we have to make priorities and they’re the ones we follow.”
Late Thursday afternoon, Mackey couldn’t say for sure if that area of Topsail Road was considered a priority area.
rgillingham@thetelegram.com
cmaclean@thetelegram.com
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