ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A man charged in connection with an alleged crime spree last fall that included a carjacking and a high-speed chase with police will likely plead guilty to at least some of his charges, his lawyer said Friday.
Jesse Lewis, 21, has been in custody since October, when he was arrested after a series of crimes that spanned several kilometres.
Defence lawyer Mark Gruchy told the court he was waiting on medical information for Lewis that could affect how things proceed in court. A full day was set aside in July for the matters to be addressed.
"There are so many charges, we're not sure what will be pled to and what will be withdrawn, and this medical information may have a bearing on that process," Gruchy explained.
The RCMP received a report Oct. 17 that a male driver in a stolen vehicle was speeding and had sideswiped a vehicle. The man later left a gas station after not paying and sped to St. John’s with a male passenger, police said.
Both the RNC and Holyrood RCMP attempted to find the suspect as he sped in a red Kia Sedona from Colliers to St. John’s, causing several accidents.
According to the RCMP, the driver attempted to ram three RNC patrol cars and had a number of near-misses with other vehicles in various parts of the city, and two confirmed collisions.
RNC officers spotted the vehicle several times throughout the morning around the metro area, but the man evaded police several times.
At one point, the suspect rammed the Sedona into a marked RNC car near Columbus Drive and drove away, the RNC said. He is also suspected in a hit-and-run on Ropewalk Lane.
The Sedona was seen going through the intersection at Thorburn Road and O'Leary Avenue, causing a three-vehicle accident, but no injuries. It then continued up Thorburn Road near Austin Street, where it crashed into a utility pole — breaking it off and bringing down the wire.
The Sedona was then abandoned. Police say the driver then ran to a nearby residence and carjacked a parked red Pontiac van with a grandmother and three children, all under the age of three, aboard. The woman told members of the media the man had a screwdriver and demanded they get out of the vehicle.
A month earlier, Lewis was acquitted of aggravated assault and weapons charges that had been laid after he shot a man who had forced his way into Lewis's home. He was convicted, however, of a driving charge after he fled the scene.
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