Driver who killed boy, 6, to be released on parole

A drunk driver who ran over a young boy as he was playing on a sidewalk in front of his home is scheduled to be released soon.

Andre Sweeney was three times over the legal blood-alcohol limit when the truck he was driving struck and killed 6-year-old Kevin Lavallee on May 29, 2001.

Lavallee had been playing on the sidewalk in front of his family's home in Massueville, a rural town about 90 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Sweeney's truck jumped the curb and the boy was crushed underneath its wheels.

Sweeney pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death on March 27, 2002, and was sentenced to serve six years and four months in addition to the time he had served awaiting the outcome of his case. As part of his sentence he is also prohibited from driving a vehicle until 2012.

On Sept. 21, 2004, Sweeney was turned down for both day and full parole because two National Parole Board commissioners determined he had only just begun to address his problem and that releasing him posed too serious a threat to society.

In 2004, he underwent a psychological evaluation and was found to have a severe dependence on alcohol.

But in the National Parole Board's most recent evaluation, carried out as Sweeney approaches the two-thirds mark of his sentence and his statutory release date in May, he was found to have shown marked improvement.

According to a summary report on the evaluation, Sweeney has been open to solving his problem with alcoholism since the start of his sentence.

While incarcerated, he completed a dependency program and passed two urinalysis tests. Over the past year, he was granted escorted leaves and used them to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where he spoke to others about how he killed Lavallee.

To the people who have been following his progress, Sweeney's testimonials at the meetings represent a "significant evolution" for a person who had trouble expressing himself in the past.

Sweeney told the parole board that when he is released, he has a job in maintenance lined up and plans to continue attending AA meetings.

Because of the progress, the parole board granted Sweeney day parole before he reaches his statutory release date. He will be required to live in a halfway house where Correctional Service Canada will determine if he can be released on weekends.

The Montreal Gazette