Wednesday July 3, 2013 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST INCLUDED
Driver jailed for three years Court: Jean Paul Kowal sentenced for crash that killed a Salmon Arm teen in September 2010. By Tracy Hughes OBSERVER STAFF
A Kelowna man has been sentenced to three years in prison for causing the death of a Salmon Arm teen in a horrific highway crash. Jean Paul Kowal, 42, was convicted in March of dangerous driving causing death after being acquitted on the more serious charge of impaired driving causing death. He has also been banned from driving for four years. The crash took place September 1, 2010 on Highway 97A near Enderby. Kowal admitted to drinking prior to the crash but maintained he wasn’t impaired after slamming his pick-up truck into an oncoming car being driven by 17-year-old Donovan Pippus, who died at the scene. Kowal had blood-alDonovan Pippus cohol levels more than CRASH three times the legal VICTIM limit just hours later, but told the court he began drinking after the accident as a way to numb his physical pain and deal with his emotions. He maintains he fell asleep at the wheel. Defence lawyer Rishi Gill said a jail sentence of 12 to 18 months was available under the facts, but Kowal was seeking a two-year federal sentence in order to have access to jail programming. Prosecutor Angela Ross pointed to a pattern of poor driving behaviour, including Kowal’s previous impaired driving conviction, when asking for a three- to four-year sentence. Judge Dev Dley concurred and on June 27 issued the three-year term. A conditional sentence order was not available after the federal government changed the law several years ago.
Horsing around
JAMES MURRAY/OBSERVER
Salmon Arm Secondary grad Jenna Roberts shares a laugh with Jordan Planidin, Nathan Grieve and Dylan Marsh, who were all sporting horse-head masks at McGuire Lake prior to the graduation ceremony held Thursday evening at the Shaw Centre. For more images from the event, check out page A10 or www.saobserver.net.
Gaming centre unveiled Development: Plans include slot machines, bingo and dining.
By Martha Wickett OBSERVER STAFF
Construction of the Salmon Arm Community Gaming Centre is set to begin in October 2013, with an estimated completion date of June 2014. Details of plans for the gaming centre were the focus of an open house held on Thursday, June 27 at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort. Present were representatives of the Adams Lake Indian Band, the BC Lottery Corporation and the Berezan Group. The Adams Lake band is
This week Salmon Arm’s Curtis Lazar is drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round. See A11. The F-Holes bring their unique name and style of music back to Salmon Arm. See A16.
ARTIST’S RENDERING CONTRIBUTED
Concept: Designs for the Salmon Arm Chances feature a wave-shaped awning. leasing the property – the former home of the GM dealership at 10th Street SW and the Trans-Canada Highway – to the Berezan Group, which will build and operate Chanc-
es Salmon Arm. Fourteen Chances gaming centres are already operating in B.C., including ones in Kamloops and Kelowna. They offer slots, bingo and
dining, but not table games such as blackjack or poker with live dealers. See Job creation on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A9 Sports............... A11-A13 Arts & Events ... A15-A18 Time Out................... A19 Vol. 106, No. 27, 36 pages