Winnipeg man who killed Saskatchewan Mountie with stolen truck to be sentenced

A man who ran over and killed an RCMP officer in Saskatchewan is to be sentenced Thursday.

Alphonse Stanley Traverse pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the death of Const. Shelby Patton and to stealing a vehicle.

The Crown is seeking a life sentence, and the defence is recommending 16 years.

Patton, who was 26, had pulled over a suspected stolen truck in the town of Wolseley, east of Regina, in 2021.

Court heard the officer asked Traverse to step out of the truck and, when Traverse started the vehicle to drive off, Patton stepped on the running board and reached for the keys.

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Patton fell when the truck jerked and was run over by a rear tire.

An agreed statement of facts said Traverse was on warrant status at the time for various offences.

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He and a woman had decided to drive from Winnipeg to play VLTs in Saskatchewan, as bars in Manitoba were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When their truck broke down, they stole another near Pipestone, Man.

Traverse and the woman had also been using crystal meth, said the document.

Click to play video: 'Const. Shelby Patton, 26, identified as Saskatchewan RCMP officer killed on duty'

Const. Shelby Patton, 26, identified as Saskatchewan RCMP officer killed on duty

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