Preliminary inquiry in January 2022 for man accused in death of Westville woman
TRURO, N.S. - A two-day preliminary inquiry has been set for January 2022 in the case of a Bible Hill man charged with causing the death of a Westville woman in a motor-vehicle accident last spring.
Jason Edward Alexander, 37, has pleaded not guilty and elected to be tried in Supreme Court by judge alone.
Alexander, who is serving time in a federal prison on other charges, entered his plea via a video appearance last Wednesday in Truro provincial court.
The preliminary inquiry is to be held on Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 of next year.
Alexander is facing numerous charges stemming from an accident last April that claimed the life of Tanya Rector, 30.
The mother of two young children died at the scene after the driver and two passengers allegedly left her alone when the pickup truck she was riding in veered off the road at a sharp turn on Highway 246 in Oliver, N.S., near Tatamagouche.
“The driver and two passengers suffered non-lifethreatening injuries and had left the scene,” the RCMP said following the accident, which occurred just before midnight on April 12 and which was reported by someone not involved.
Alexander’s charges include operating a vehicle while impaired that caused the death of Rector and two charges of operating a vehicle while impaired causing injury to the other two passengers, Rebecca Linkletter and Cody Johnson.
He is also charged with operating a vehicle in a dangerous manner that resulted in Rector’s death and two counts of operating a vehicle in a dangerous manner causing bodily injury to the other two individuals along with another single charge of operating a vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public.
The final three charges include leaving the scene of an accident while knowing it had caused Rector’s death and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident knowing it had caused bodily harm to Linkletter and Johnson.
Alexander was ordered during Wednesday’s court appearance to not have any contact with Linkletter or Johnson nor any member of Rector’s family.