The man accused in a deadly 2017 hit-and-run collision outside of Hope, B.C. is scheduled to appear in court later this month to set a date for sentencing on two of six charges he’s facing.
Anthony Creed Cortez, 41, entered guilty pleas to one count of dangerous driving causing death and one count of motor vehicle theft at the start of a scheduled preliminary inquiry in the case last December, the B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed.
Cortez is accused of four other offences related to the Sept. 11, 2017 incident, including failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm, and possessing a firearm without a licence or registration.
Danielle Charlton, a 35-year-old mother of four, was killed when the SUV she was a passenger in collided with a maintenance truck on Highway 3 about 10 kilometres east of Hope.
Cortez, who was allegedly behind the wheel of the SUV, is accused of fleeing the scene in a truck stolen from a Good Samaritan who had stopped to help.
He was arrested nine days later in B.C.’s Rogers Pass area when police spotted him riding an allegedly stolen motorcycle.