By Sheldon Spackman

New Dates Set

Preliminary hearing rescheduled for man charged in fatal Red Deer hit and run

Dec 10, 2020 | 4:04 PM

A preliminary hearing has been rescheduled for next summer for a man charged in a fatal hit and run in north Red Deer nearly three years ago.

Tosh Verstraeten, 31, was originally scheduled to have a preliminary hearing in September, 2019 in relation to the death of a male pedestrian.

However, after various court and COVID-19-related delays, Verstraeten’s new preliminary hearing dates are now July 22-23, 2021.

He is charged with one count of failing to remain at the scene of a collision in which a person dies.

The crash on the night of Mar. 11, 2018 claimed the life of 38-year-old Darren Nickolson who was standing near a parked vehicle on the 5200 block of 76 Street when he was hit by a distinctive red truck that did not stop afterward.

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The suspect was eventually arrested in November, 2018 in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, where police say he had relocated to.

Verstraeten’s preliminary hearing will determine if his case has enough evidence to go to trial.