Food delivery driver charged in Prince Albert Arby's manager's death granted bail
The wife of a Prince Albert restaurant manager says his life was cut short on May 18 when he was struck by a vehicle in the parking lot of Prince Albert's Arby’s restaurant.
Injuries sustained that day led to his death eight days later.
“It is hard to accept and I can’t imagine my two girls growing up without their dad,” Maryrose Garcia told CTV News.
Garcia, 29, joined her husband Allen Andres, 31, in Canada from the Philippines in 2014.
She said they had “big dreams” that were coming true. They moved to Prince Albert in 2018, with their two daughters, bought a house and had jobs.
Allen Andres had worked his way up to assistant manager at the Arby’s restaurant.
“We were just working hard to provide for the kids,” she said. “Now it’s like we are breaking into pieces every single day.”
On May 18, Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) responded to an incident involving a vehicle and pedestrian around 2 p.m.
Police arrested Rejdeepsinh Bihola and charged him with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. His charge was upgraded to second-degree murder following Andres' death.
Garcia said that due to the incident, Andres had a severe head injury, broken leg and other injuries. He was in a coma for eight days and died on May 27.
Bihola, 24, was taken into custody shortly after the incident but was granted bail on June 7. It was stated in court that Bihola had no prior criminal record. Friends of Bihola told CTV News he was a food delivery driver for SkipTheDishes.
Garcia says she was inside the Arby’s at the time of the incident and Bihola had come to the restaurant for work purposes that day. A court-ordered publication ban prevents sharing further details concerning the incident.
Garcia and Andres’ brother, Gerald Andres, say they want justice served in Allen’s death and say they don’t agree with Bihola getting bail.
“At first we were so shocked,” said Gerald Andres. “I just know this from this morning when the investigating officer informed me and what’s more shocking is he’s on bail.”
Garcia said she and Andres were planning to have their wedding reception in the Philippines in 2023.
Now she’s started a GoFundMe to help transport her husband’s ashes back to the Philippines for a funeral with friends and family.
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