Three men arrested in the Lac-Megantic train disaster have been freed after being arraigned on 47 charges of criminal negligence causing death.
Thomas Harding, Jean Demaitre and Richard Labrie each had to post $15,000 bail after appearing in a makeshift courtroom in Lac-Megantic this afternoon.
They were then freed on various conditions pending their next court appearance on Sept. 11. They can't change their address and can't work in the rail industry unless they have proper supervision.
Harding was the driver of the train that barrelled into downtown Lac-Megantic in the early morning hours of last July 6 before exploding and eventually killing 47 people.
The Crown has identified Labrie as the railway traffic controller and Demaitre as the manager of train operations.
The insolvent Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway faces the same charges.
Harding arrested by tactical squad
Lawyer Thomas Walsh told CTV that a SWAT team “descended” on the home of his client, locomotive engineer Thomas Harding, Friday afternoon.
“They were fully armed, dressed in camouflage gear with bandanas around their faces, and with their sirens going full blast,” Walsh said.
Police forced Harding and his son and family friend onto the ground face-down, before cuffing Harding and taking him away, Walsh said.
It’s “a little bit disappointing” that police would choose to proceed that way, Walsh said, because he had offered to have Harding appear in court at a set time once the Crown had decided whether to lay charges.
“They chose to ignore that offer and to basically try to kill a fly with a cannon,” Walsh said.
Maximum penalty is life in prison
Rene Verret, a spokesman for the Crown's office, said the charges come after analyzing evidence gathered at the scene, something which took a very long time.
The maximum penalty for criminal negligence causing death is life in prison.
Federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt issued a statement Monday evening.
"I would like to thank the Sureté du Québec for their investigation. I understand that this is difficult for those affected by the tragic incident in Lac-Megantic. As the matter is now before the courts, we have no further comment."
The MMA railway company is in the process of being sold. to a subsidiary of a York-based Investment Group for $14 million and it's possible, if convicted, the new owner's could face significant fines.
The explosion was caused when a runaway train hauling tanker cars loaded with volatile crude oil broke loose and barrelled into the town in the early morning hours of July 6, killing 47 people and destroying part of the tiny Quebec community's downtown.
A Transportation Safety Board report said the train got loose because not enough hand brakes were set when the train was parked for the night.
The charges come as people gather in Lac-Megantic to discuss the rebuilding of the Music-Café, a club where many of the deceased were on the night of the explosion.
