CALEB NICKERSON
OTTER LAKE May 8, 2019
An Otter Lake man has been charged with public mischief after he misled the police investigation into a fatal crash that occurred in the early hours of April 10, 2018.
The incident took place on Hwy. 148 near Quyon and resulted in the death of a 26-year-old Gatineau woman.
Christopher Bérubé, 29, was charged on May 8 with public mischief after investigators determined he was the driver of the vehicle, not the passenger like he had originally told them. He was released on $1,000 bail and is set to reappear in court on July 4.
“He knew there was an arrest warrant against him so he just showed up at the [Wakefield] station and got arrested by our detective,” explained MRC des Collines Police spokesman Sgt. Martin Fournel. “With the investigation, it was showing us that he was the driver and not the passenger like he first said. We worked with the crown attorney on that file and they laid the charges against him with the evidence that we had.”
Fournel wasn’t able to disclose the nature of the evidence, but said that one thing that tipped police off was Bérubé’s lack of cooperation with investigators. He added that Bérubé was well-known to police.
“He was not too cooperative, even after many months or weeks after the accident,” Fournel said. “He didn’t really want to talk to our detective.”
At the time of the crash, Bérubé had a suspended licence and was prohibited from driving. The car was a friend’s and did not have valid plates. He was taken to hospital and treated for shock by first responders.
Fournel added that the charge is a relief for the family of the victim.
