Eston man fined for impaired driving after being found asleep near Highway 7
By Ian MacKay
A man from Eston who was found asleep beside Highway 7 must pay the mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 for impaired driving.
Peter Mandel, 24, pleaded guilty through a lawyer to the criminal offence during a short provincial court session at the Elks hall on April 23.
Judge Brad Mitchell also ordered Mandel to pay a $300 victim surcharge and banned him from driving for a year, unless Saskatchewan Government Insurance allows him to drive with an ignition interlock device.
Police responded to a call about a vehicle swerving into the oncoming lane near Fiske late at night on Sept. 23, Crown prosecutor Ashley Fulton said during the session.
Police found Mandel asleep behind the steering wheel of a truck parked about three kilometres east of the hamlet, Fulton said.
There were two open beer cans in the truck’s console, the man showed signs of intoxication when he was woken and he couldn’t answer police questions, the prosecutor said.
Mandel has a strong support system, admits he was impaired and intends to “make a fresh start,” his lawyer said, taking part by telephone.
“He says it was a mistake,” the lawyer said.
Mandel told the judge he was sorry.
Judge Mitchell also fined Braeden A. Pelletier, 28, of Calgary, $500 instead of the voluntary fine of $776 after hearing the accused’s explanation.
Police charged Pelletier with driving at least 35 km/h over the speed limit near Harris on Feb. 2 after his vehicle registered 148 km/h on radar.
“I was a little distracted talking to my wife” and not paying attention to his speed as they were returning to Calgary with the ashes of his wife’s mother, Pelletier said, asking for a lower fine.
Charlotte Wilms, 44, of Saskatoon, was fined $290 instead of $580 after she pleaded guilty through her husband to driving an unregistered vehicle.
Robert Wilms said he thought the registration fee was covered because he was “still paying the insurance on my old van” and that “miscommunication” resulted after a phone call with SGI.
“I thought it was being taken care of,” Wilms said.
Judge Mitchell also fined 19 people a total of $4,235 in issuing default convictions when they didn’t attend the session or register to get a phone call to contest their traffic tickets.
The judge also fined four people their voluntary amounts in issuing default convictions when someone acting for them didn’t answer the phone twice during the session.
He also rescheduled one traffic trial and one criminal trial due to illness, set two traffic trials and adjourned two other traffic cases and five criminal ones.