Daniella Leis, 23, of Kitchener leaves the London courthouse after a brief appearance, October 2, 2019. (Photo by Miranda Chant, Blackburn News)Daniella Leis, 23, of Kitchener leaves the London courthouse after a brief appearance, October 2, 2019. (Photo by Miranda Chant, Blackburn News)
London

Old East explosion case put over to February

It will be another three weeks before the case against a Kitchener woman charged with impaired driving in connection with last summer's explosion in London's Old East Village returns to court.

Daniella Leis was not present in a London courtroom Wednesday as her defence lawyer Richard Braiden requested the case be put over until February 19. Between now and that date, Braiden will meet with the Crown in hopes of getting additional evidence disclosure related to the case.

Leis is charged with 12 offences including four counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, four counts of driving with more than the legal limit of alcohol in her blood causing bodily harm, and four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

She was just 23 years old when she was arrested on August 14 of last year following the devastating blast on Woodman Avenue. Leis is accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that crashed into a home and severed a gas line, leading to the explosion. Prior to the blast, it was reported a vehicle had been travelling the wrong way on Queens Avenue.

The initial blast levelled 450 Woodman, while homes at 448 Woodman and 452 Woodman were torn down by crews in the days that followed. More than 100 homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution. Damage was estimated to be between $10 million and $15 million.

A total of seven people – four firefighters, two police officers, and one civilian – were hurt in the explosion.

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