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

Accused in OEV explosion to return to court in March

The case against the Kitchener woman charged with impaired driving offences in relation to last summer's explosion in Old East Village will be back before a London court next month.

Daniella Leis' defence lawyer Richard Braiden told the court on Wednesday that there is an "extensive" amount of disclosure in the case and he is still awaiting more files from the Crown. He asked that the proceedings be put over until March 18.

Leis was not present for Wednesday's brief hearing. She is charged with a total of 12 offences - 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.

The charges stem from the massive explosion on August 14 of last year on Woodman Avenue. The then 23-year-old Leis is accused of being behind the wheel of a vehicle that crashed into 450 Woodman Ave. and severed a gas line, leading to the blast. She was arrested the night of the explosion and charged the following day.

It has been reported that prior to the collision, the vehicle had been travelling the wrong way on Queens Avenue.

The home at 450 Woodman was levelled in the explosion, while houses at 448 Woodman and 452 Woodman were torn down by crews in the days that followed.

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

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