Guilty plea in minivan crash that killed St. Paul girl

A man has pleaded guilty to criminal charges after his minivan plowed through the wall of a rural Alberta school and killed an 11-year-old girl.

Richard Edward Benson pleaded guilty earlier this month in St.Paul court to one count of criminal negligence causing death and twocounts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

The 47-year-old, who remains in custody, has not yet beensentenced and is to appear again in court on Nov. 14.

Benson's family said earlier that he had a history of seizuresand was likely having an attack when he was behind the wheel on Oct.25, 2012.

Witnesses said the van was heading down a back alley before itsmashed through a fence and then a window, diving into a lower-levelclassroom just after the Grade 6 French class had started for theday.

The van sent students and desks flying as it spun around andpinned three girls underneath it.

The girls were airlifted 200 kilometres west to a hospital inEdmonton where one of them, Megan Wolitski, died the next day.

Police at the time said Benson was combative with officers duringhis arrest at the school, but was later co-operative and remorseful.

Benson was originally charged with dangerous driving but thecharges were later upgraded to criminal negligence.

He was scheduled to go to trial in November.

His defence lawyer, Brian Beresh, said after a failed bailhearing last year that he didn't think the upgraded charges werejustified.

A tough year

The guilty pleas came during the first week of school and on thesame day Premier Alison Redford was in town to open the new Racettebuilding. The school where the crash happened was only being used byRacette students temporarily while the original Racette Junior Highwas undergoing $8 million in renovations.

Redford told reporters that the school and the community havefaced a tough year.

"It was very clear to me, that when that terrible incidenthappened that people across Alberta wanted to be able to providesome kind of support," she said.

"So in some ways, perhaps me being here is a chance for me tosay to everyone here that Albertans have been thinking about what'sbeen going on and certainly everything that's happened has been inour thoughts and prayers."

Glen Brodziak, superintendent of St. Paul Education, said Tuesdaythat news of the guilty pleas has slowly trickled through town andthere are mixed reactions.

He said staff and students may be in a new building, but they'llnever forget the crash.

"We remember the loss and remember the tragedy," he said. "Wetry and move forward however we can and at whatever pace we can."