By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

Man charged in death of Piikani band councillor fails to attend court a second time

Jan 8, 2019 | 10:27 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The 62-year old man charged with Impaired Driving Causing Death in an accident on Highway 3 last June, once again, did not show up in a Lethbridge Courtroom as required.

Douglas Bagnall was supposed to have retained counsel and appeared Tuesday morning in a Lethbridge courtroom. However, an agent for lawyer William Tatarchuck asked Justice J. Maher for a one-month adjournment, because Tatarchuck is currently out of the country.

The agent told LNN that while Bagnall does not have a designated lawyer yet, his family has been speaking with Tatarchuck.

Bagnall was charged in November 2018 after a Toyota Corolla travelling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 3 near the Highway 509 intersection, slammed into a Chevy Impala.

Pikanii Band Councillor Barney Provost was killed, while a 12-year old also in the vehicle was injured.

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The Crown told Justice Maher it was concerned about Bagnall not only not showing up in court, but also that he apparently had not been checking in each week with Lethbridge Police, as required.

Maher told the agent, that both Bagnall and a lawyer must be in court January 15. For the second time, a warrant for Bagnall’s arrest was also held. That means, if he does not show up on the date the judge outlined, a warrant will for his arrest will be released.

As the proceedings were concluding, a man stood up in court and shouted, “there should be a man hunt!” before he was escorted out of the courtroom by a sheriff.

Outside the courtroom, Provost’s widow Kristy, limping and on crutches, began sobbing uncontrollably.

As she was leaving the courthouse, Provost, with tears running down her cheeks, asked Lethbridge News NOW “where does the justice system come in?”

A family friend also asked why the matter had been adjourned over and over.  

42-year-old Provost was not only a band councillor, but a teacher,and the principle at Tsuut’ina High School who had a master’s degree in education from the University of Lethbridge.

He was also an active sobriety advocate.