N.B. man changes plea to guilty in fatal crash involving well-known Halifax bottle collector

A 24-year-old New Brunswick man has changed his plea to guilty for his role in a crash that killed a well-known Halifax bottle collector.

Nova Scotia’s Public Prosecution Service confirmed that in Halifax provincial court on Monday, Dennis Donald Patterson pleaded guilty to causing death by driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08.

READ MORE: N.B. man charged in death of well-known Halifax bottle collector waives preliminary inquiry

Patterson, who was enrolled in the Saint Mary’s University MBA program at the time of the crash, was also charged with impaired driving, impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.

Patterson was charged shortly after 62-year-old Wray Elias Hart was killed in January 2018 when he was struck and became pinned by a car.

Hart became 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. A GoFundMe page for Hart’s family has raised $8,500.

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Patterson has been released on conditions since his initial arrest. His conditions include residing at an apartment not far from the scene of the crash or at his family’s home in Quispamsis, N.B.

He is also not allowed to operate a motor vehicle or consume alcohol or drugs and must follow a designated curfew.

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

Patterson’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 21 in Halifax provincial court.