Mayor's husband facing charges
By Kate Dubinski
London Free Press
Feb. 2, 2009

The husband of London's mayor is facing charges, including impaired driving, after an SUV was reported striking two vehicles east of London Saturday night.

Timothy Best, 47, of London, is charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm, failing to remain at the scene of an accident, impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol level greater than .08.

The charges stem from a Saturday incident about 7 p.m. on Highway 401 and in Dorchester.

Middlesex OPP say they were called by concerned drivers after a Chevrolet Avalanche going west on Hwy. 401 near Putnam Road struck a Pontiac.

The Pontiac driver, Lisa Sheppard, 40, of London, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Her 31-year-old passenger was not hurt.

After the collision, the Chevy kept going and took the Dorchester Road exit, said OPP.

OPP say alert drivers followed the SUV as it headed toward Dorchester, where it struck another vehicle, a Chevrolet Lumina.

"We were just turning into the Tim Hortons when that truck came flying out of nowhere and slammed into us," said Steve Erny, 67, of Chatham, the Lumina driver.

"If we were turned just a little bit more, we would have been T-boned and my wife could have been killed."

Erny's wife and son were in the vehicle as well. None of them was injured.

At that point, several police cruisers were following the Chevy Avalanche, Erny said.

The SUV pulled into a private driveway and a suspect began to run, police said.

Police followed through the snow and arrested a man. An OPP officer hurt his foot while tracking the suspect.

Best was charged and released and is to appear in court March 24.

Police applauded drivers who called them after seeing the first collision.

"The citizens that called us right away, that was great. We encourage them to call police if they see aggressive or impaired drivers," said Middlesex OPP Const. Christina Hunter

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, who declined comment about the charges, married Best in June 2006 after a whirlwind romance.

Best owns Friday Knight Lights, a downtown sports bar.

Saturday night, the mayor was representing the city at the Chinese New Year Banquet at the Chinese Cultural Centre in the city's east end.