Winnipeg: A man from Winnipeg who ran over and killed an RCMP officer in Saskatchewan has been sentenced by a judge to 18 years in prison.
Alphonse Stanley Traverse , from Winnipeg who plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of Const. Shelby Patton, 26, also pleaded guilty to stealing the truck that he was driving when Patton pulled him over in the town of Wolseley, Sask. in 2021.
Traverse and a woman were driving to Saskatchewan from neighbouring Manitoba to play VLTs as they were closed in Manitoba at that time due to pandemic restrictions. When their vehicle broke down they then stole one near the community of Pipestone, Man.
Traverse was also given 18 months for stealing the truck.
Patton had pulled over a suspected stolen truck in the town of Wolseley, east of Regina, in 2021 and asked Traverse to step out of the truck, but Traverse started the vehicle and attempted to drive off.
It was then that Patton jumped onto the truck’s running board and tried to grab the keys from the ignition before he fell off and was run over by one of the truck’s rear tires.
After hearing the details from the officer, Court of King’s Bench Justice Michael Tochor reportedly said Thursday while handing down the sentence in Regina,
“All I’m able to say is, sincerely, that the Patton family — and I think this even applies to Mr. Traverse — that I hope all of you can someday, somehow find some peace,”
The Crown had been seeking a life sentence, while the defence recommended 16 year
An agreed statement of facts said Traverse was on warrant status at the time for various offences.
He and a woman had decided to drive from Winnipeg to play VLTs in Saskatchewan, as bars in Manitoba were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When their truck broke down, they stole another near Pipestone, Man.
Traverse and the woman had also been using crystal meth, the document said.
