Prolific offender released once again
By Kyra Hoggan
A duo of prolific offenders from Trail who have allegedly been committing crimes throughout the region are once again making headlines after being released from custody against the expressed wishes of both RCMP and Crown counsel.
Both offenders have been released and re-arrested at least three times in the past two weeks alone.
(To see previous coverage from Sept. 16 and 23, go to https://trailchampion.com/news/trail-pair-runs-afoul-law-again-earns-new-laundry-list-charges)
Donovan Bienvenu, 37, is now facing 25 outstanding charges for a crime spree starting on March 7, 2019 – and was once again released from custody Tuesday with conditions including 24-hour arrest.
Brightney Dawn Soukechoff, 24, is facing 15 charges after being released from custody twice in the past two weeks, and allegedly made her way to Nelson just days after her Sept. 20 court date.
According to RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich, Nelson police noted a stolen grey Charger, and attempts to pull over the vehicle led to a pursuit.
“Police tracked the Charger down, (which subsequently led them) to find a woman in a make-shift camp,” Wicentowich said. The woman in question, Soukochoff, appeared in court again on Sept. 25 and was remanded in custody until her next court date.
The outstanding charges are as follows:
Bienvenu: seven counts of driving while prohibited, seven counts of possession of stolen property, five counts of breaching conditions, four counts of possession of a controlled substance, one count of resisting arrest/obstruction of a police officer and one count of impersonation with intent to avoid prosecution – a total of 25.
Soukochoff: six counts of possession of stolen property, two counts of possession of a controlled substance and two counts of breaching conditions, as well as, most recently, theft over $5,000, failing to stop for a police officer while being pursued, dangerous driving, and three more counts of breach of conditions – a total of 15.
“We know it’s an issue for the public to see prolific offenders walk in and out of court,” Wicentowich said. “But there’s a high bar, in Canada, to keep people detained in custody.
“Police are doing their best to monitor these offenders in our community, but it can be a challenge,” he said. “I’m not criticizing the Crown or the courts – but it’s left to police to monitor these people, and when there are a number of people with a variety of different conditions, it can get very complex.”
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