Attempts to arraign a 21-year-old man accused of attempted murder in connection with a string of serious collisions in Cape Breton have failed.
Daniel Keays was initially due to appear in Sydney provincial court Wednesday for a bail hearing but he was transferred from custody to the psychiatric unit of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.
Justice officials had planned on arraigning him from his hospital bed they but were unable to. They plan to try again Thursday.
“His treating psychiatrist at the regional hospital assessed him yesterday,” says Crown Lawyer Sheldon Nathanson. “It was his opinion that he could not be transported for health purposes.”
Nathanson says there are some very real mental health concerns at play here - which may be a factor in the commission of the offence, as well as whether he’s fit to stand trial or not.
At noon hour on Wednesday, lawyers representing both sides, along with the judge, visited Keays at his hospital bed to try and perform an arraignment hearing. They were unsuccessful.
“My role was to try and safeguard his right,” says Defence Lawyer, Michael Kuna. “Unfortunately, I was unable to get his consent for me to act for him.”
It is expected Keays will eventually be sent to the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth for a 30-day psychiatric evaluation.
Ingonish RCMP arrested the Bedford, N.S. man after responding to reports of four separate motor vehicle collisions, all involving the same vehicle, around 3 p.m. Saturday on White Point Road in South Harbour, N.S.
RCMP allege Keays intentionally drove his Honda van into three different vehicles – one SUV and two motorcycles – and narrowly missed a fourth vehicle before crashing into a guard rail.
Police say Keays first collided with an SUV driven by a 49-year-old woman, which also had a 5-year-old boy as a passenger. Afterwards, police say Keays fled the scene and collided with a motorcycle carrying two riders, who were both ejected on impact.
Police say Keays tried to flee the scene again and proceeded to hit another motorcycle, once again throwing off its two passengers. He allegedly dragged the motorcycle for about a kilometre before driving through an intersection, narrowly missing another vehicle.
Police say his vehicle finally came to a stop after he crashed through a guard rail.
RCMP say the collisions occurred within five minutes of each other, and within a four-kilometre stretch of roadway.
The victims sustained various injuries, but none were life-threatening. They were all unknown to Keays.
Keays is also accused of assaulting two bystanders who tried to help after the crash, of escaping custody and of assaulting two police officers.
He is facing charges of attempted murder, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, assault causing bodily harm, assault of a peace officer causing bodily harm, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and refusing a drug test.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald
