Man jailed for high-risk crash at Nanaimo Parkway construction project

An agreed statement of facts outlined by Mascolo stated Brooks was clocked at 131 kilometers an hour by a Nanaimo RCMP officer’s radar gun as he sped south on the Nanaimo Parkway past the Third St. Exit just after 12:30 a.m.

The Parkway was clearly marked as closed for construction while crews worked on the Midtown Water Supply project between the Third and Fifth street exits.

The speed limit in the area shifted down to 70 kilometers an hour near the East Wellington Rd. overpass to 50 km/h at the approach to the Third St./Jingle Pot Rd. exit.

As Brooks’ zoomed by, the officer did a U-turn and put on her emergency lights in an attempt to warn several construction workers on the highway near the top of the hill at the curve just north of the Fifth St. intersection.

His car generated so much speed that it cleared an estimated 2-and-a-half metre wide open trench in the highway, then crashed.

He got out of his car and ran further up the hill, then ran down toward the direction of several stunned construction workers.

The responding Mountie got out of her cruiser and struggled to gain control of Brooks, who assaulted the officer by kicking her.

Mascolo said a backup officer quickly responded and managed to get handcuffs on Brooks, who remained non-compliant, declaring he didn’t care if he went to jail.

Contractors also helped subdue Brooks, a Campbell River resident, who police stated was “laughing throughout the whole incident.”

Mascolo relayed an alarming statement that a contractor made to police.

The worker reported he and a colleague were standing in the middle of the highway filling the trench when the car rapidly approaching at full speed toward them.

“He went one way and his colleague went the other,” Mascolo said. “If they hadn’t seen the vehicle and it made contact with them the results would have been catastrophic.”

Brooks’ car sped up the Nanaimo Parkway from the north toward this section of highway where his car narrowly missed a pair of construction workers. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Despite Brooks showing clear signs of being under the influence, charges of impaired driving and refusing to provide a breath sample originally applied against him were stayed.

Three empty beer cans and a nearly full bottle of vodka were found in his car.

Several months later on Oct. 29, 2023 Brooks stole his grandfather’s wallet and car from his garage during an overnight theft in Parksville.

Brooks’ grandfather suspected his grandson was responsible, telling Oceanside RCMP Kaden had been struggling with drug addiction at the time.

Shortly after the theft Brooks and the stolen car were tracked down by Campbell River RCMP where he was detained under the Mental Health Act.

Mascolo said the series of events came as a complete shock to Brooks’ family.

Unanswered questions

Pre-sentence and psychiatric reports for Brooks were ordered to contextualize his actions and assist with a rehabilitative plan.

Court was told Brooks had a limited mental health history and no formal diagnosis.

While Brooks took responsibility for his actions, he didn’t explain his behaviour to the authors of both reports.

Defence attorney Julia Turner informed court that Brooks suffered from childhood trauma, struggled with alcohol and had thoughts of self-harm after stealing his grandfather’s car.

Judge Chris Churchill, who accepted a joint sentence recommendation which included one year probation and a two year driving ban, told Brooks his conduct on the Nanaimo Parkway put multiple people’s lives at risk.

“It has to be denounced, it has to be deterred and there has to be a jail sentence for that kind of crime, it’s just too dangerous…”

Judge Churchill said he’s not entirely convinced that Brooks had been forthright into what led to his offending.

“I think all of the participants in the criminal justice system are still unsure why this happened.”

Judge Churchill recommended that Brooks spend his jail sentence at Nanaimo Correctional Centre and encouraged him to apply to partake in the institution’s highly regarded Guthrie Therapeutic Community program.

Brooks apologized in court for his action in a brief prepared statement, saying he’s a good person whose made mistakes.

Brooks will be referred for a mental health assessment and counselling as part of his probationary terms.

Forty-four days were removed from Brooks’ sentence due to pre-trial credit served behind bars.

He told court he plans to move to Alberta once he’s released from jail, which will require the permission of his probation officer.

Brooks has also been charged with assault and uttering threats in relation to an alleged recent event in late July in Parksville.

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Ian.holmes@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes

by Ian Holmes

Man jailed for high-risk crash at Nanaimo Parkway construction project

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