Photo: Castanet

A Kamloops man who crashed his pickup truck into a snowbank while fleeing from police has been fined $1,000 and prohibited from driving for a year.

Daniel William Hurst-Voeltz, 34, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Kamloops provincial court to one count of flight from police.

Court heard a Mountie on patrol in Brocklehurst on Jan. 11, 2022, ran Hurst-Voeltz’s plates and determined he was unlicensed. The constable followed and watched Hurst-Voeltz run two stop signs, then he turned on his lights and siren.

“The vehicle was losing traction as it began to speed up, sliding sideways a little bit,” Crown prosecutor Katie Bouchard said in court, noting the officer estimated the speed at 70 to 80 km/h on snowy residential streets.

Bouchard said the constable called off the pursuit for safety reasons, then saw Hurst-Voeltz’s truck turn onto Crestline Street.

By the time the Mountie caught up, Hurst-Voeltz had crashed.

“He saw the vehicle he’d been following stuck in a snowbank at Young Place and Crestline Street,” Bouchard said. “It looked like the vehicle had tried to make a turn onto Young Place but had too much speed and crashed into the snowbank.”

Defence lawyer John Gustafson said Hurst-Voeltz’s life has “gone downhill” since the incident. He lost his drywalling job when police impounded his truck, and he is now homeless.

“He’s currently without a fixed address and he’s been, quite frankly, struggling,” he said.

Kamloops provincial court Judge Stella Frame went along with a joint submission for a $1,000 fine and a 12-month driving prohibition.

Hurst-Voeltz will have one year to pay the fine, which totals $1,300 with court surcharges added on.