An OPP constable who drove 150 km/h in an 50 km/h residential zone was spared a criminal record after a judge found that although she made mistakes, she is an exemplary person and officer.

Const. Lauren Cheeseman was given a conditional sentence by Justice Anthony Leitch on Tuesday (June 18) and put on probation for 18 months.

Cheeseman, 28, pleaded guilty in January to mischief endangering life while chasing an armed bank robber in December 2015. The robber crashed into another vehicle in Binbrook, injuring the other driver, before being arrested at the crash scene and later convicted.

The constable, now a detective in a northern Ontario detachment, was with the Haldimand OPP at the time.

She was charged more than a year later by the province's Special Investigations Unit that looks into police conduct, with criminal negligence and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Her guilty plea to mischief endangering life is on a lesser offence.

The male driver she was pursuing had been involved in a series of bank robberies and, on Dec. 21, 2015, had pointed a gun at a teller in Caledonia and robbed a bank in Beamsville.

Cheeseman's probation includes an order to perform 150 hours of community service.

Leitch in February received glowing letters from Cheeseman's supervisors and citizens about her capabilities, professionalism, kindness, caring, compassion and volunteerism.

In sentencing her on Tuesday, he noted Cheeseman was "an exceptional person" and "a wonderful police officer" who was trying to balance public safety with catching a dangerous criminal.

"She has had a short and unblemished career. All she ever wanted was to fulfil her dream to be a police officer."

While finding that her actions did not cause the accident, Leitch nonetheless said the excessive speeds she drove were a mistake that could have had a tragic outcome.

Crown prosecutor Katie Doherty had earlier made it clear she did not tie Cheesman's conduct to the crash, but, rather, to the risk of danger to other road users.

She noted Cheeseman was driving a stealth cruiser not marked like a police cruiser and not used for pursuits, so its lights and sirens were not activated.

People would not have been aware "what was coming at them at the speeds we're talking about," because there was nothing to warn them, Doherty said.

She called the speeds "outrageous," at 150 km/h in a 50 km/h zone (through the villages of Canfield and Empire Corners) and 170 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on rural highways.

Leitch on Tuesday agreed, saying Cheeseman "achieved very high speeds on roads intersecting with driveways. This is the heart of the offence — the likely endangerment of life."

But Leitch also noted Cheeseman pleaded guilty, and that "this is not an offence of violence or serious injury."

"She was trying to apprehend a dangerous criminal, despite making bad decisions for 20 minutes during the chase."

Her lawyer, David Butt, said after sentencing that Cheeseman is relieved it's all over after a very long ordeal.

Calling the sentence thoughtfully balanced, he said Leitch recognized "the really important need for officers to be able to respond quickly when there are serious threats to community safety, as there were with this bank robber."

"He also recognized ... (that) driving at any speed is not permissible anymore. Police do have to take into account a different aspect of community safety, which is the danger a speeding police vehicle may pose."

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Butt also said in Cheeseman's circumstances, "this was a very dynamic, fluid, unfolding situation. So this is someone acting in good faith, doing something she thought was best for community safety."

cfragomeni@thespec.com

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