{"id":7863,"date":"2026-11-03T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/?p=7971371"},"modified":"2026-11-03T18:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T01:00:13","slug":"kelowna-woman-jailed-for-2011-drunk-driving-death-faces-more-driving-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7863\/kelowna-woman-jailed-for-2011-drunk-driving-death-faces-more-driving-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelowna woman jailed for 2011 drunk-driving death, faces more driving charges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Kelowna woman who killed an Edmonton University student while drunk driving 15 years ago was back in court again today, having been caught driving even though she&#8217;s banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stephanie Gaylene Beckley is facing charges of driving while disqualified, personation with intent to gain an advantage, and resisting arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beckley has racked up numerous convictions for driving while banned since she was released from prison after <a href=\"https:\/\/edmontonsun.com\/2012\/02\/02\/selfish-killer-drunk-driver-jailed-three-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being sentenced to three years in jail for drunk driving causing death in 2012.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2011 in Edmonton, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/edmonton\/impaired-driver-gets-jail-for-killing-pharmacy-student-1.1191255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Beckley jumped a red light while drunk<\/a> and crashed into a vehicle, killing 23-year-old pharmacology student Laura Chee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe accused\u2019s actions were grossly selfish. She drank, she drove recklessly, and she killed,\u201d the judge said during the sentencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Media reports said Beckley\u2019s Jeep was swerving in and out of its lane before the crash and that she had twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was 27 years old when she was sentenced to three years in jail and given a five-year driving ban, but after being released, she has continued to drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2015, in Edmonton, <a href=\"https:\/\/edmontonjournal.com\/news\/crime\/edmonton-woman-sentenced-to-three-years-for-drunk-driving-death-faces-new-charge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">she was charged for driving while disqualified<\/a>, and since returning to the Okanagan has been convicted several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018, she spent time in jail for resisting arrest and breached her house arrest several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, the 42-year-old has been convicted for driving while prohibited on an almost yearly basis. In 2024, she was given 30 days in jail for dangerous driving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current charges relate to an unknown incident in July in West Kelowna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the fatal Edmonton crash, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/edmonton\/impaired-driver-gets-jail-for-killing-pharmacy-student-1.1191255\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media stories report that Beckley<\/a>, who had two children at the time, was \u201cvery belligerent&#8221; with police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She hurled profanities at the officers, gave them the finger,&nbsp;threw a phone book at a glass door and urinated on the floor of the telephone room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the recent West Kelowna allegations have been proven in court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since being released she&#8217;s been convicted for driving numerous times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":7864,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"","_duplicate_post":false,"rank_math_canonical_url":"","source":"","byline":"","published":"","updated":"","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1285,492,493],"tags":[],"region":[206,207,208,209],"class_list":["post-7863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-local","category-topnews","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7863\/kelowna-woman-jailed-for-2011-drunk-driving-death-faces-more-driving-charges\/","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Kelowna woman jailed for 2011 drunk-driving death, faces more driving charges","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7863\/kelowna-woman-jailed-for-2011-drunk-driving-death-faces-more-driving-charges\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7863\/kelowna-woman-jailed-for-2011-drunk-driving-death-faces-more-driving-charges\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-hd-mediaitemid93031-5025.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-hd-mediaitemid93031-5025.jpg"},"articleSection":"Featured","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Bulmer"}],"creator":["Ben Bulmer"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-11-04T01:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-11-04T01:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-11-04T01:00:13Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" 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