A driver has been charged in the crash that killed Wilfrid Laurier University’s dean of students.
Leanne Holland Brown, 43, was walking on a sidewalk on Central Street when she was hit by a car, which had left the roadway.
She was airlifted to hospital in Hamilton, where she died from her injuries.
Police arrested Ronald Rees, 56 of Cambridge, on Tuesday.
According to a press release, he was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death and driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available.
“Time of day, the amount of pedestrian traffic that is on the roadway in the immediate area and certainly being right in front of a school was part and parcel to the dangerous operation charge,” says Staff Sgt. Mike Hinsperger.
Police confirmed later that he was impaired by a drug when the crash happened, but would not elaborate what he was impaired by.
Rees appeared in court on Wednesday.
Holland Brown is being remembered as a champion of students who left her mark on hundreds. Her impact spread far beyond the Laurier campus.
Police are still looking to speak to an elderly male who was in the area of the crash at the time, walking with a mobility aid. He left the scene before police were able to speak to him.
Anyone who may have seen the collision is asked to contact police. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
