Day two of the trial for a retired Chatham-Kent police officer hit an unexpected snag on Wednesday when a key witness was late returning from a lunch break.
The trial for Cristelle Vanden Enden, 47, of Chatham, had to be delayed by just over an hour while police searched for the witness, who still had more questions to answer.
The court heard the witness was present when a man was run over by a vehicle and had been smoking fentanyl with Vanden Enden and the victim earlier that same night at a home on Harvey Street in Chatham on January 9, 2021.
Vanden Enden has pleaded not guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and criminal negligence causing bodily harm in the case.
The 40-year-old victim was taken to the Chatham hospital with a broken right arm, a bloody face, swelling, scrapes to different parts of his body, and several cuts and bruises and was hospitalized for four days.
The missing witness was not the only surprise on Wednesday. The court also learned that the victim, who was subpoenaed to appear at the trial to testify, has not shown up on either day and that police are searching for him.
The witness who took the stand on Wednesday testified that Vanden Enden was upset because all of her fentanyl was smoked and refused to drive anybody home until she got more drugs. That's when he went inside the house, found some fentanyl on the floor, and returned to the car in the driveway, according to his testimony.
The witness also told Crown Attorney Andrew Telford-Keogh he felt the vehicle going over a bump as it was backing up and another bump when it drove forward and heard moaning.
The witness said that's when he and Vanden Enden realized the victim was not in the back seat anymore where he was put earlier and was found lying on the driveway moaning in agony after getting a dose of Narcan earlier to prevent overdosing.
The witness said Harvey Street was dimly lit at the time.
The witness said there was a discussion about taking him to the hospital, but instead, Vanden Enden took him to a home on Dover Street where the victim's uncle had told her to take him earlier after giving him the Narcan.
Two Windsor police forensic officers also testified on Wednesday. The first officer said a vehicle found at a home on Raleigh Street in Chatham that belonged to Vanden Enden had soft fabric transfer on the back bumper like it contacted something and the front passenger's side also had damage. The second officer said the victim's clothing had dried mud and blood stains.
The Windsor Police Service was called to investigate the incident because Vanden Enden was still a Chatham-Kent police officer, on medical leave, at the time.
The trial resumes on Tuesday with cross-examination by the defence.
