A Regina man who sped through two school zones at 120 kilometres an hour while fleeing from police will now be parked behind bars for nearly three years.
Fiorenzo Ricci, 50, was sentenced Wednesday after he was found guilty in October of three counts of dangerous driving and two counts of evading police.
With credit for the time he spent on remand, Ricci will spend a further two years and 10 months in a federal penitentiary. He will also be prohibited from driving for a period of three years.
The charges stemmed from three separate incidents in January 2012. The first occurred on Jan. 3, when Ricci drove into oncoming traffic while speeding on Dewdney Avenue.
Six days later, police pursued Ricci’s vehicle through a residential area of the city near a park. Court heard Ricci drove onto the sidewalk twice and ran a stop sign to evade police before the chase was called off because of public safety concerns.
Then on Jan. 10, Ricci led police on a high-speed chase through two school zones on College Avenue, and drove in the wrong direction while speeding on Arcola Avenue. He also nearly rolled his vehicle in a residential area before he was arrested a short time later.
Justice Neil Turcotte said Ricci showed “wanton disregard” for the safety of the public and the police officers who pursued him.
He said it was only through fortune that no one was injured or killed and no property was damaged.
Ricci has an extensive criminal record, mostly for drug-related offences, in addition to the more than 40 speeding tickets on his driver’s abstract.
