MOOSE JAW — Mortlach resident Tyrel Terence Cronan will likely spend the next half-decade in a federal jail after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving that caused the death of his friend.
Cronan, 27, appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Oct. 14, where his defence lawyer, Merv Nidesh, entered a guilty plea on his behalf. The Crown did not pursue the other charges of flight from police, impaired operation causing death and exceeding .08 causing death.
As part of a joint recommendation, Cronan will likely spend the next five years in a federal prison, minus the time he spent on remand before he was granted bail in December 2024. He will also have to provide a DNA sample and will be prohibited from possessing firearms or weapons for a certain length of time.
“I’m very sorry (for) everything that happened,” Cronan told Judge David Chow, with the latter saying he would officially sentence the Mortlach man on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Police received a call around midnight on Nov. 7, 2024, about a grey Honda Civic driving erratically at the Lakeview Trailer Court, with the caller saying the vehicle had followed her onto Ninth Avenue northeast, Crown prosecutor Rob Parker said while reading the facts.
The police service told the woman to drive to the police station, which she did, while the Honda Civic continued to follow her, the Crown prosecutor continued. An officer found the grey vehicle and followed it, including on Fairford Street East and West, Langdon Crescent, Athabasca Street East and Main Street North.
The Honda Civic then headed north and eventually hit a concrete median at the intersection of Macdonald Street and Main Street North — near McDonald’s — and flipped onto its roof, Parker said.
The officer saw one man, Wayne Ransom, run away from the scene, while a second, Cronan, lay unmoving near the vehicle, and a third man, Alec Pattison, was trapped under the car and was dead.
The officer checked on Cronan, and, while holding his hand, heard him say, “I did this,” the prosecutor noted.
During their investigation of the scene, police seized contents from the vehicle, including the driver’s airbag, with later testing showing that it had Cronan’s DNA on it, Parker added. Although the Crown did not receive a formal coroner’s autopsy, a police report said Pattison died from skull fractures that caused bleeding and were likely responsible for his death.
Nidesh told Judge Chow that the proposed joint recommendation was “well within the range” of sentences for dangerous driving causing death, since past case law has ranged from a conditional sentence order to over five years.
Continuing, the defence lawyer said that Cronan has been co-operative during the matter, and he was remorseful about what happened since Ransom and Pattison were his friends, while the vehicle belonged to the latter.
“So then … you have three people who embarked on a very unfortunate situation and were all part of it,” Nidesh remarked.
Nidesh said that Cronan has a problem with alcohol, but has not consumed anything since being released on bail nearly a year ago. Moreover, an electronic ankle bracelet has monitored his whereabouts, while he has continued to work and is described by his employer as “a gentle giant.”
Cronan is going into prison “with a very positive approach,” since he plans to acquire his certification as a heavy-duty mechanic, along with any other training so he can find a good job after his release, the defence lawyer continued.
Nidesh added that Cronan’s family is fully supporting him despite his problem with alcohol and his future prison term, while he has “other redeeming features” that mitigate his actions.
After accepting the guilty plea, Judge Chow also agreed to remove a no-contact clause so Cronan could see his 10-year-old son.
