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Charges dropped as accused in fatal Vernon crash dies

The BC Prosecution Service says charges against Michael Jordan Rodine were abated following confirmation of his death
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Two people died in an August 2022 crash on Highway 97 near the Vernon Army Camp. The driver of one of the vehicles, Michael Rodine, faced six charges related to the crash. Those charges were dropped April 22, 2024, following confirmation of Rodine’s death. (Morning Star file photo)

A man who faced charges related to a 2022 fatal highway collision in Vernon has died.

Michael Rodine, born in 1987, was facing six charges related to the crash on Highway 97 near the Vernon Army Camp on Aug. 5, 2022. The charges included impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death.

According to the BC Prosecution Service, Rodine’s charges were abated Monday, April 22, after it was confirmed that he had died.

An abatement is one form of termination of a prosecution, and the BC Prosecution Service said it is “the appropriate procedural mechanism when the accused has died.”

The crash killed two grandparents, who were vacationing in the Okanagan from Vancouver.

Rodine, who was not in custody, was set to start a pre-trial conference for the charges on April 15. That hearing was delayed prior to news of his death.

READ MORE: Pre-trial conference set for driver in fatal Vernon crash

READ MORE: Driver in fatal Vernon crash facing BC Supreme Court judge



Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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