(ASHLEY LEGASSIC / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - A man who intentionally crashed into another vehicle at a busy Kamloops intersection won't spend any time behind bars after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Dylan Yarosloski, 45, has been given a conditional sentence order, which means he'll spend six months under supervision in the community. 

Court heard today, Jan. 31, that Yarosloski was driving a dark SUV on March 10, 2015 when he got into an altercation with another driver at the intersection of Summit Drive and Guerin Creek Way.

He followed the vehicle to the intersection of Victoria Street West and Mission Flats Road in Kamloops and intentionally crashed into it. It wasn't until after the incident that Yarosloski realized he had the wrong vehicle.

The car crashed into a median on the road, but the two occupants didn't suffer any substantial injuries.

Crown prosecutor Camille Cook told Kamloops Supreme Court that Yarosloski got out of his vehicle, checked on the occupants of the other car and apologized. He said he would go for a walk but not to worry.

Firefighters responded and eventually caught up to Yarosloski, who said he had a "bad day" and had gotten into a verbal altercation with another driver at the Summit Drive intersection.

Court heard that a witness driving behind Yarosloski saw him driving erratically, waving his middle finger, honking his horn and reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. He had also been weaving in and out of traffic and at one point moved in to the oncoming traffic lane.

Yarosloski entered his guilty plea after a preliminary inquiry, a hearing where the strength of the Crown's case is assessed based on the evidence presented. He was originally charged with assault, mischief, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, committing an indecent act with the intent to insult and assault with a weapon.

He only pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Cook asked for a six-month conditional sentence order, a one-year probation period and a two-year driving prohibition. But defence lawyer Lisa Scruton said a two-year driving prohibition would be too harsh, since Yarosloski is trained as a long-haul truck operator. 

Yarosloski also doesn't have a permanent address and isn't from Kamloops. Court heard he lives in shelters in the Lower Mainland, which is partly why Judge Miriam Gropper did not impose a period of house arrest during the conditional sentence.

Scruton says Yarosloski has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety during his life, due to a history of being abused as a child.

"It's an ongoing issue for him," Scruton said. "Since March 2015, his life has been... shaken up because of this incident."

She says her client has been showing remorse since moments after the accident took place.

"He understands that this accident could have killed or maimed someone," Scruton said.

Yarosloski has been homeless on and off for the past two years, Scruton says. She offered for Yarosloski to write an apology letter to the victims in the incident and to serve 300 hours of community service, but Gropper sided with Cook.

Yarosloski is banned from driving for one year and will spend 12 months on probation after his conditional sentence is complete.

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