A Nova Scotia man is facing charges after a woman died while they were off-roading in Hants County last week.
Mechelle Duncan was killed Thursday night when the SUV she was riding in broke through the ice of a pond near the couple's home in Mosherville.
"My dad and I heard a big ‘bang,'" describes neighbour Lawrence Lake. "Then there were several ambulances, lots of cops and fire engines."
Neighbours say Duncan, a mother in her 30s, was off-roading with her partner on a trail beside their home in Mosherville when their SUV plunged nose-first into an ice-covered pond off the trial and the vehicle became submerged up to the back wheels.
Police say the driver managed to escape but Duncan was strapped in her seat and became trapped in the icy water.
"It was determined there was a lady in the passenger side and (she was) pronounced dead at the Hants County Community Hospital," RCMP Const. George Cameron confirmed to CTV News Friday.
Police have arrested and charged 36-year-old Steve Douglas Saunders in connection with the incident.
He is due to appear in Windsor provincial court on Feb. 28 to face charges of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death and refusal to provide a breath sample.
Saunders has since been released from police custody.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
