WESTLOCK, Alta. – A Westlock man who led police on an abbreviated chase in July 2022 now has a room booked at the Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre (FSCC) for the next 37-and-a-half weekends.
In Westlock Provincial Court Oct. 12, Thomas Roy McLean, 58, pleaded guilty to obstructing a peace officer, while a charge of flight from peace officer was withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Alison Moore. Judge Clifton Purvis agreed to a joint-sentence submission from Moore and duty counsel Gail Gerhart that’ll see McLean serve a 75-day intermittent jail sentence that began at 6 p.m. Oct. 14, at the FSCC. McLean will remain behind bars until 6 p.m., Oct. 16, and will continue serving every weekend until the 75 days are up.
In addition, McLean, a divorced father of three adult children who works as a labourer, faces an 18-month probation order as part of the sentence, although Judge Purvis declined to impose a victim-fine surcharge due to it causing an “undue hardship.” While asking for the intermittent jail time, Moore noted McLean had “many convictions” for driving while disqualified, the last coming in 2018 when he received 75-day jail sentences but had no convictions for being unlawfully at large or failing to appear.
“It’s probably a little lighter (of a sentence) than I would have given you, but I’m going to go ahead and go along with the joint submission,” said Judge Purvis.
Moore told court that at 11:56 p.m., July 9, 2022, RCMP saw an older, four-door sedan travelling on the wrong side of Highway 44 near Highway 18 — the vehicle was pointed south in the northbound lane. After the car came to a stop at the lights, the officer tried to read the licence plate but couldn’t and he initiated a traffic stop which led to the car speeding off east on Highway 18. The sedan then went into the ditch but eventually came to a stop at the next set of lights — McLean attempted to flee on foot but was caught by the officer.
“He advised the officer that he knew he was being stopped but was afraid to stop because he knew his driver’s licence was suspended,” said Moore.
