New delay to Minto dangerous driving case
Published:Wednesday | May 22, 2019 | 12:27 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The much-anticipated committal hearing for Dana Minto, the St James nurse charged with causing death by dangerous driving following a collision that claimed two lives in 2017, hit another snag yesterday when it was postponed for the eighth time, this time to May 29.
Yesterday’s hearing, which was fixed for the St James Parish Court, was to determine whether Minto’s case would be transferred to the St James Circuit Court for trial.
Following a brief discussion with the clerk of the court and Minto’s lawyer, Trevor Ho Lyn, presiding judge Natalie Creary-Dixon set May 29 as the new hearing date. Minto’s bail was extended until that date.
Yesterday was the seventh attempt at a committal hearing. The original date was September 21 last year and was followed up by November 9 last year.
Black Box Data
On the first five dates, the case was put off because the black box data from Minto’s vehicle was outstanding from the case file. On May 2, despite Ho Lyn’s readiness to proceed with the hearing, it was postponed again because parish judge Kacia Grant, who was scheduled to oversee the hearing, was absent.
It is unclear if Grant’s absence was the reason for the hearing’s delay on May 10 and at yesterday’s court sitting.
Minto was charged following an incident on November 13, 2017, in which the Toyota Ipsum vehicle she was driving struck four persons along Felicity Road in Glendevon, St James. Minto was allegedly trying to overtake another vehicle when the collision took place.
Fifteen-year-old Shantae Rose, a grade-10 student of Green Pond High School in St James, and 52-year-old Franklin Hylton died on the spot, while Rose’s mother and sister were hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. Minto allegedly jumped from the vehicle and fled the scene but later surrendered to the police.