Kevin O'Leary's wife allegedly had alcohol on her breath after deadly boating crash
Sam Pazzano Courts Bureau
Published:
November 27, 2019
Updated:
November 27, 2019 9:27 AM EST
Uxbridge mother Suzana Brito, right, and American Gary Poltash are pictured in Muskoka. Both died after an Aug. 24, 2019 boating accident involving celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary. (GoFundMe)
The wife of entrepreneur and media personality Kevin O’Leary allegedly had alcohol on her breath after a fatal crash involving a boat she was driving in Ontario cottage country last summer, stated recently-unsealed court documents obtained by CBC News.
“Mrs. Linda O’Leary was administered an alcohol screening device test and registered an alert. She was subsequently served a three-day driver’s licence suspension,” Ontario Provincial Police allege in the search documents compiled the day after the Aug. 24, 2019 collision at Lake Joseph — southeast of Parry Sound.
Linda O’Leary asserted she consumed a drink of vodka after the tragedy and before the breath test. She could not recall who gave her the vodka drink, the CBC reported.
Businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary and his wife Linda arrive at the 2014 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California March 2, 2014. GUS RUELAS / REUTERS
Her lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said his client was not drunk at the time of the crash, which was not preventable under the circumstances.
“This tragic accident had nothing to do with alcohol,” Greenspan wrote in an email to the Toronto Sun on Tuesday night.
“Linda O’Leary was not impaired; she is a highly experienced boater who was proceeding cautiously with due care and attention. She collided with a totally unlit boat on a moonless night which was invisible to any prudent operator. No one could have avoided the collision,” he said.
Kevin O’Leary driving one of his boats on Lake Joseph back in 2013. (YouTube/Screengrab)
Linda O’Leary’s blood-alcohol level was not divulged in the documents.
The documents say retired accountant Gary Poltash and Suzana Brito “suffered severe head trauma” in the 11:30 p.m collision and died. Poltash, 64, was from Florida, and Brito, 48, was from Uxbridge, Ont.
Linda O’Leary is charged with careless operation of a vessel under the Canada Shipping Act. If convicted, she could face a $10,000 fine. Richard Ruh was driving the other boat and is charged with failing to exhibit a navigation light while underway.
Kevin O'Leary's wife, other driver charged in fatal Muskoka boat crash
Kevin O'Leary, wife being sued for wrongful death in boat crash
Prominent Toronto lawyer Mark Sandler, who represents Ruh, said his client will contest the charge against him. He refused to comment on evidence at this time but “will do so of course in court.”
Police originally asked that the search warrant applications be sealed to “protect the integrity of the police investigation” and because they believed Kevin O’Leary’s high-profile would attract media attention, the CBC reported.
CBC News filed an application to rescind that sealing order, and on Monday the court granted the request.
The O’Leary case will be back in court on Jan. 16.
spazzano@postmedia.com
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...ohol-on-her-breath-after-deadly-boating-crash
Sam Pazzano Courts Bureau
Published:
November 27, 2019
Updated:
November 27, 2019 9:27 AM EST
Uxbridge mother Suzana Brito, right, and American Gary Poltash are pictured in Muskoka. Both died after an Aug. 24, 2019 boating accident involving celebrity businessman Kevin O'Leary. (GoFundMe)
The wife of entrepreneur and media personality Kevin O’Leary allegedly had alcohol on her breath after a fatal crash involving a boat she was driving in Ontario cottage country last summer, stated recently-unsealed court documents obtained by CBC News.
“Mrs. Linda O’Leary was administered an alcohol screening device test and registered an alert. She was subsequently served a three-day driver’s licence suspension,” Ontario Provincial Police allege in the search documents compiled the day after the Aug. 24, 2019 collision at Lake Joseph — southeast of Parry Sound.
Linda O’Leary asserted she consumed a drink of vodka after the tragedy and before the breath test. She could not recall who gave her the vodka drink, the CBC reported.
Businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary and his wife Linda arrive at the 2014 Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party in West Hollywood, California March 2, 2014. GUS RUELAS / REUTERS
Her lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said his client was not drunk at the time of the crash, which was not preventable under the circumstances.
“This tragic accident had nothing to do with alcohol,” Greenspan wrote in an email to the Toronto Sun on Tuesday night.
“Linda O’Leary was not impaired; she is a highly experienced boater who was proceeding cautiously with due care and attention. She collided with a totally unlit boat on a moonless night which was invisible to any prudent operator. No one could have avoided the collision,” he said.
Kevin O’Leary driving one of his boats on Lake Joseph back in 2013. (YouTube/Screengrab)
Linda O’Leary’s blood-alcohol level was not divulged in the documents.
The documents say retired accountant Gary Poltash and Suzana Brito “suffered severe head trauma” in the 11:30 p.m collision and died. Poltash, 64, was from Florida, and Brito, 48, was from Uxbridge, Ont.
Linda O’Leary is charged with careless operation of a vessel under the Canada Shipping Act. If convicted, she could face a $10,000 fine. Richard Ruh was driving the other boat and is charged with failing to exhibit a navigation light while underway.
Kevin O'Leary's wife, other driver charged in fatal Muskoka boat crash
Kevin O'Leary, wife being sued for wrongful death in boat crash
Prominent Toronto lawyer Mark Sandler, who represents Ruh, said his client will contest the charge against him. He refused to comment on evidence at this time but “will do so of course in court.”
Police originally asked that the search warrant applications be sealed to “protect the integrity of the police investigation” and because they believed Kevin O’Leary’s high-profile would attract media attention, the CBC reported.
CBC News filed an application to rescind that sealing order, and on Monday the court granted the request.
The O’Leary case will be back in court on Jan. 16.
spazzano@postmedia.com
http://torontosun.com/news/provinci...ohol-on-her-breath-after-deadly-boating-crash