Saskatchewan Crown to prosecute former Winnipeg police officer charged in fatal hit-and-run

An out-of-province attorney is being brought to Manitoba to prosecute a former police officer charged with impaired driving causing death.

Saskatchewan Crown prosecutor William Burge will handle the case of Justin Holz when it goes to trial next year, a spokesperson for Manitoba Justice confirmed Monday.

Holz, then a 34-year-old constable with the Winnipeg Police Service, was charged in October 2017 in connection with the hit-and-run that killed Cody Severight, 23.

Holz was charged with impaired driving causing death, fleeing the scene of a crash, dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving and driving with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit in connection with the crash.

Two other Winnipeg officers tasked with helpingwith the casewereput on leave andinvestigated by theIndependent Investigation Unit, in partfor notadministering breathalyzer tests toHolz.

Those tests weren't administered untilthree to four hours after the crash, police previously said.

The IIU later cleared thetwo officers of any criminal wrongdoing. A Winnipeg police spokesperson refused to say when the officers returned to active duty or whether they were in any way penalized internally.

The out-of-province attorney will join the case as per the request of Manitoba's assistant deputy attorney general.

Holz was one of five Winnipeg police officers charged with drunk driving-related offences in 2017.

Crown attorney Brett Rach requested an out-of-province judge for the case of Leslie McRae, one of the other officers charged in 2017, but that request was denied.

A spokesperson for Manitoba courts said at the time there is no written policy in the province that dictates when an outside judge should be brought into a jurisdiction to hear a case. There is an assumption that all judges are capable of remaining impartial, they said.

McRae was acquitted last month.

Holz will be represented by Winnipeg defence lawyer Evan Roitenberg. His trial will start on Jan. 13, 2020.