A B.C. Supreme Court judge sentenced Logan Vincent to two years in jail even though Vincent didn't show up in court July 26. Vincent, a 30-year-old Gibsons man, went on the lam in April 2004 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failure to provide a blood sample.
Vincent was 26 years old when he killed his 22-year-old friend Jeff Meyer in a car crash Sept. 15, 2000. Vincent was driving a Pontiac Firebird that went off the highway in Roberts Creek, sheared off a power pole and slammed into a tree. Police believe Vincent tried to pass another vehicle at high speed on a solid line while going around a curve and then lost control when he pulled back into his own lane sharply to avoid an oncoming car.
Meyer died of multiple trauma, while Vincent escaped with cuts and a broken shoulder blade. At the time of the accident, Vincent was serving a conditional sentence for break and enter and possessing numerous firearms without a licence: a Glock 9 mm handgun, a Browning shotgun, an AK47 rifle and a 22-calibre Smith and Wesson revolver. He was breaking a court-ordered curfew at the time of the crash.
Vincent initially pleaded not guilty and the case was set for trial in Vancouver Supreme Court. He changed his plea to guilty March 14, but after one more court appearance, he disappeared without telling his lawyer.
Mike Luchenko, the Crown prosecutor in this case, said this was the second time he asked a judge to pass sentence on Vincent in his absence. This time, B.C. Supreme Court Judge Marvyn Konigsberg agreed to pass sentence: two years less a day in jail, three years probation and a five-year driving suspension.
The judge "was troubled by his record," said Luchenko.
In nearly four years since the fatal crash, Vincent has committed at least 10 traffic offences, including five incidents of speeding, driving while suspended and disobeying traffic lights.
"This was after he'd been involved in a serious traffic accident where one of his buddies was killed," said Luchenko. "The judge felt that didn't show true remorse."
If police do find Vincent in B.C., said Luchenko, "he will go to jail, do not pass go."
However, there is not a Canada-wide warrant for Vincent's arrest, so he could be evading police by staying out of the province. Luchenko said the reason why Canada-wide arrest warrants are rarely issued is that it is not cost-effective to send sheriffs across the country to retrieve a criminal.
"Usually, these people come to the attention of police in one form or another," he said. "You run out of places to go."
