His actions on June 20, 2021, when he told an Ontario Provincial Police officer, “I hope you get Covid and die” led to further assault charges, the Crown said Friday. The youth pleaded guilty to both charges, which stemmed from a single-vehicle crash that occurred in Aweres Township. Combined with his “fairly high” blood alcohol readings and the high-speed crash, the assault became another aggravating factor in his sentencing. “The officer was trying to do his job,” Ontario Court Justice Melanie Dunn warned the 20-year-old man. “I hope you are very ashamed of your actions.” Prosecutor Stuart Woods and defense attorney Ken Walker jointly recommended that he be sentenced to 60 days of house arrest followed by one year of probation. They also asked the judge to impose a 12-month driving ban. Walker said his client’s readings (140 and 150 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood) were close to twice the legal limit, and along with the accident and assault, were aggravating factors Losing Radke’s license will have a serious impact on him, but a short-lived one, the defense noted. Dunn accepted the lawyers’ recommendation, telling Radke that the sentence was “house arrest.” He agreed to move the order to Kamloops, BC so he could continue his work as a pipeline worker. During his sentence, Radke can only leave his residence for medical emergencies, to go directly to and from work and for five hours on Sundays to stock up on necessities. He must also confirm his work schedule with his sentence supervisor. Radke must also appear at the door of his residence to his supervisor or any police officer to verify his compliance with the house arrest order. Since he is serving a custodial sentence, he also cannot have alcohol or intoxicants. He must also attend any recommended counseling and not harass or harass the OPP officer he assaulted. Dunn suggested that Radke might also want to send him a letter of apology, adding “I’m sure he would appreciate it.” The judge also imposed a weapons ban and ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the national registry. Radke is also banned from driving for one year.
