A BC Highway Patrol officer was fined under the Motor Vehicle Act this July for injuring two pedestrians in Revelstoke two years prior while driving off duty, following an independent police investigation.
Const. Trent Eresman was fined more than $2,000 on July 2 in a Revelstoke provincial court, for charges of driving a vehicle without due care and attention.
According to Crown prosecutor Daniel Shih, Eresman made a left-hand turn through the intersection of Fourth Street West and Campbell Avenue while off duty and hit a man and a woman walking across on Nov. 5, 2023.
Shih said Eresman had been distracted by another vehicle, which caused him to overlook the couple as they passed through the crosswalk.
The couple was hospitalized with various fractures and concussions, Shih said, and victim impact statements described them taking multiple months off work, falling into solitude, experiencing vertigo when driving, and going through anger, shame and constant back pain.
"This comes as a tragic incident on facts," Shih told Justice Clarke Burnett.
Revelstoke RCMP Sgt. Derek Rondeau confirmed with Black Press Media by email that Eresman was working as a member of BC Highway Patrol, and was posted to Revelstoke but not managed by the local detachment.
Eresman, who arrived at the provincial court with no previous driving record, didn't comment during the hearing.
His lawyer, Brad Kielmann, shared that Eresman, originally from Medicine Hat, Alta., had worked in various careers, including as a CPKC engineer and judo instructor, as well as being a "committed father" and "exemplary police officer" during his six years stationed in Revelstoke.
Kielmann said misinformation had circulated in Revelstoke's Facebook community after the 2023 incident about Eresman leaving the scene prematurely, which Kielmann added was inaccurate. In contrast, he said Eresman was immediately compliant with local authorities and remorseful for the harm he inflicted on the couple.
In terms of reparations, "Mr. Eresman's been committed to this from the get-go," Kielmann said. "The only way this could've been avoided is if Mr. Eresman hadn't been focused on another vehicle."
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of BC was notified of the incident on Nov. 5, 2023, and announced Nov. 6 that it was investigating the matter.
On Sept. 25, 2024, the IIO updated that it had filed a report with the BC Prosecution Service for consideration of charges as per Section 38.11 of B.C.'s Police Act. It said one of the two affected persons' injuries had since met the threshold for serious harm under the Police Act. IIO chief civilian director Jessica Berglund ruled that "reasonable grounds exist to believe that the officer may have committed an offence in relation to the use of their vehicle."
"I can understand why Mr. Eresman was distracted, but the consequences of that distraction were quite significant," Justice Burnett said.
This July 2, the court fined Eresman $1,900 for a Motor Vehicle Act violation, which turned into $2,185 with the victim fine surcharge.
"Everyone makes mistakes 鈥� even police officers," Justice Burnett said. "No one is perfect."
Eresman has until Friday, Aug. 1, to pay the fine.
According to Staff Sgt. Kris Clark, senior media relations officer for the British Columbia RCMP, Eresman was off duty and driving a personal motor vehicle at the time of the 2023 incident.
The court's decision doesn't impact Eresman's conditions of employment as a BC Highway Patrol officer, including his ability to drive or carry firearms, and no code of conduct investigation was initiated, Clark told Black Press Media by email.
"He remained operational throughout the investigation and continues to be on active duty," Clark said.