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mm -_-- Vol. 133 No. 22 PORT PERRY - TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1999 COPY 75¢ ues secon 28 Pages Suspect In fatal accident In court By Chris Hall Port Perry Star The Claremont man charged in connec- tion with a fatal accident late last year in Manchester suffers from manic depres- sion and was drinking the night of the incident, an Oshawa court was told last week. While a preliminary hearing was origi- nally scheduled, lawyers elected to pro- ceed with the trial of David Doerfler, 35, Friday (April 16) before Justice Hugh Campbell. He faces a total of five charges '«« including 'criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm -- in the Nov. 15 death of John Michael Gibbons, a 47-year-old Oshawa man. It is alleged Mr. Doerfler was fleeing police when the accident occurred. Court heard that Mr. Doerfler has suf- fered from manic depression for more than 12 years. He may not have been tak- ing the medication, and wa. drinking beer the night his purple 1993 Ford Ranger slammed into the side of Mr. Gibbons' car at the intersection of Hwys. 7A and 12, a witness said. William Mitchell, a friend of Mr. Doerfler's for close to 22 years, told the court that the two met around 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Claremont and agreed to meet an hour later at another friend's res- idence on the Uxbridge/Pickering Town Line. They drank no alcohol there, said Mr. Mitchell. The men came to Port Perry, picked up some beer, and drove to a friend's home in Little Britain to watch a hockey game. During the drive to Little Britain and while watching the game, Mr. Doerfler was "fairly agitated... he kept saying that he had no money and that he wanted to, get his mail from (ex-wife) Candy's house.... he was very concerned about that," said the witness. Mr. Mitchell also noted that Mr. Doerfler appeared to "show signs of para- noia... he was fearful, he was worried that he would be pulled over by the cops". Please turn to page 12 id Mi. 5 + pa AEA pea TE By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Organizers are hoping to tap government grants and the private sector for most of the more than $1 million needed for the Scugog Shoreline Trail. Project committee chair Rev. Sandy Beaton told a public meeting last Tuesday evening that while no dollars have been raised so far, various organizations have agreed to what he termed "soft funding" to the tune of about $250,000. But he stressed several times he is "confident we will come up with the money." The total price tag of the ambitious project along the Lake Scugog shoreline, from Palmer Park to the Hwy 7A causeway, is estimated at between $1.2 and $1.6 million. In his comments at the public meeting, Rev. Beaton said million sought for project that as well as senior government sources and the private sec- tor, the committee will be seeking financial input from local service groups and organizations and through a public fundraising drive. Scugog Township council has given support in principle to the project, but so far has ruled out any contributions from local tax revenues. Rev. Beaton said the soft funding commitments have not put any dollars in the bank to date. And he said the project is in a bit of a quandary right now, as potential private sector donors want to see concrete evidence the project will go ahead before they start signing cheques. But the committee needs money to get the project off the ground this year"to show this concrete evidence to donors. Please turn to page 13 CANADIAN NRL Your Accredited] <= ~ Drive Clean '% i Inspection & Wonneos 38 Repair Centre ™ QA ~~ Calling n appointment. e §re ready when you are! CANADIANTIRE ...; +. - Pon Es A Rs NE