A motorist who had already been convicted of drunk driving in the past has just been accused of causing the death of a sixty-year-old man, more than a year after a violent collision in Laval.
Stéphane Raiche, 49, was charged last December with dangerous driving and driving while impaired causing the death of Gabriel Monesteem. He will appear for the first time this week at the Laval courthouse.
“It does me great good to know that justice can finally be done,” said the victim’s brother, Reynald Monesteem.
This is because on October 3, 2022, around 11:30 p.m., Raiche’s vehicle caused a violent face-to-face encounter on Dagenais Boulevard, in Laval, hitting the 65-year-old man’s car head-on.
Under the force of the impact and the speed of the oncoming car, the victim’s vehicle ended up overturned on the roof, on the grounds of a residence.
The death of Gabriel Monesteem was noted in a hospital a few hours later.
Gabriel Monesteem died in a road accident on October 3, 2022, in Laval.
taken from the Goyer Funeral Homes website
“He was coming back from going to someone’s house to do a job. “It’s a big part of the family that left, he always wanted to help everyone,” mentioned his brother Reynald.
Arrest at the scene
Officers from the Laval Police Department arrested Raiche, since alcohol and speed seemed to be involved, it was specified at the time. However, it took more than a year before he was formally charged.
He was also accused at the time of having driven without a valid license, according to municipal court documents consulted by The newspaper. But the file has since been closed.
Several backgrounds
Stéphane Raiche is not the first to be accused of drunk driving. In 2016, he was sentenced to 30 days in prison intermittently for impaired driving.
He also received several speeding tickets, sometimes driving 30 km/h over the limit.
Stéphane Raiche is charged with dangerous and impaired driving causing death.
taken from Stéphane Raiche’s Facebook account
And despite the recent accusations, Raiche was allegedly caught just two weeks ago driving at 71 km/h in a 50 km/h zone in Deux-Montagnes, on the North Shore of Montreal.
The defendant also has a history of drug possession and failure to comply with a prescription.