Man charged with drunk driving in death of Halifax bottle collector facing additional charge

The man charged with drunk driving causing the death of a well-known Halifax bottle collector now faces an additional charge.

MBA student Dennis Patterson was charged after 62-year-old Wray Hart was killed in January when he was struck and became pinned by a car.

Hart was a fixture in downtown Halifax, where he could often be seen sitting outside the old library on Spring Garden Road or pushing a shopping cart piled high with recyclables.

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The case was at Halifax Provincial Court on Wednesday, where a new charge of criminal negligence causing death was laid against Patterson. That’s in addition to the three other charges he faces: impaired driving causing death, driving with a blood alcohol level of over 80 milligrams and dangerous driving causing death.

A judge put the matter over until June 26.

Patterson was not in court and is currently free on bail.

But Hart’s family and friends were at court and vowed to be there every step of the legal process. Hart’s son choked back tears as he talked to reporters about his father.

“I even watched him take the jacket off his own back and give it to someone else to keep them warm,” said Anthony Hart, standing next to other emotional friends and family of his father. “He was always there to talk to.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I even watched him take the jacket off his own back and give it to someone else to keep them warm," said Anthony Hart, standing next to other emotional friends and family of his father. "He was always there to talk to."

There was an outpouring of support for Hart after his death, with almost $9,000 raised through a GoFundMe campaign for his funeral arrangements.

More than 100 people gathered to remember Hart at a funeral service in Halifax in February.

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The GoFundMe page says Hart had been homeless for many years and often slept on a bench on Queen Street, but was not homeless at the time of his death.

With files from Natasha Pace and The Canadian Press