A young man who police had to drag from his vehicle, while facing his second impaired driving charge was given a heavy fine and an 18-month driving ban.
Roderick McDaniel, 24, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of impaired driving.
McDaniel’s driving pattern concerned a motorist who was following him on Aug. 27 and noticed he was swerving across several lanes and couldn’t maintain a consistent speed.
An RCMP officer managed to catch up with the driver after he pulled into his driveway, but while he was still in the car.
The witnesses had followed McDaniel right to his driveway and then watched his vehicle until police arrived.
Officers noticed he was alone in the vehicle and had slurred speech. When they asked him to step out he refused.
He told officers the keys were not even in the vehicle and he was only sitting in the car. Several officers had to be brought in to remove him. After warning him, police pepper sprayed him and he was eventually dragged out.
While McDaniel had no record at the time, several days after this offence he pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
Judge Norman Mackie handed McDaniel a $1,800 fine and the 18-month driving ban. Mackie also warned him that, while he was only prohibited from driving for 18 months the province would likely suspend his licence for three years.
A man already in police custody for uttering threats decided to use his one phone call to up the ante.
Jarrett Lung pleaded guilty to two counts of uttering threats and was handed a 30-day jail sentence and a year of probation.
Lung was arrested in the early morning hours of Feb. 3 after a taxi driver, dispatched to an address in town, witnessed him arguing with his girlfriend. The driver called police after he heard Lung threaten his girlfriend. When officers arrived, they took Lung into custody, however while in custody the dispatcher of the cab company received a phone call, this time threatening the driver who had reported the incident to police.
Under the terms of his probation, Lung will have to take any directed counselling and abstain completely from alcohol.
Judge Jeanne Burch told Lung in handing down her sentence that she very specifically did not want to see him start drinking again. “You and alcohol are not a good mix.
Lung was also given a five-year weapons ban.
A 34-year-old Edmonton man whose ear splitting music broke the quite serenity of Christmas Eve was sentenced to seven days in jail.
Jay Dennis Zittlaw pleaded guilty to one count of mischief and one count of resisting a peace officer.
Police were called to an apartment Zittlaw was staying in because of a noise complaint about loud music on Dec. 24 around 11 p.m.
Officers could hear the music coming from the street and when they knocked on the door, they found an aggressive, confrontational and loud man.
Officers initially asked Zittlaw to turn down the music and only planned to give him a warning, despite several previous complaints.
He refused to turn the music down and closed the door.
Under the Criminal Code, mischief charges can be laid against someone who infringes on a person’s ability to enjoy their own property.
Officers obtained a warrant to enter the home and once inside had to force Zittlaw to the ground, after he insisted he could not be arrested for his loud music.
Zittlaw served 12 days in jail before being released on bail. Judge Jeanne Burch sentenced him to seven days, instead of a time served sentence, telling the court she felt 12 days would be too much for the offence.
A 27-year-old was admonished for thumbing his nose at the court system on Monday and was given a 30-day jail sentence.
Scott Daniel Ritchie pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching bail conditions and was handed the jail term, which he will be able to serve on weekends.
Ritchie was placed on bail in April 2009 and was required to report regularly to a probation officer and reside at home with his father. Ritchie only reported once to the probation officer and his father notified police in June that he hadn’t been living at home. Ritchie told the court he was having difficulties with his father at the time.
Judge Jeanne Burch said the breaches showed a complete disregard for a court order and said if he was having trouble with his father he should have called his lawyer rather than simply walking away.
She said jail time was the only appropriate response to the breaches. “They are nothing short of just thumbing your nose at the court.”
A St. Albert judge came up with a novel sentence for a woman pleading guilty to a $300 grocery theft.
Cindy Gouthro, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of theft under $5,000 for her part in a January 2008 theft from Walmart.
Gouthro placed $329 worth of groceries in a cart while working at the store and looked the other way when someone else came in and took them without paying.
Crown prosecutor Keith Joyce asked the judge to consider a probationary term for Gouthro who has had no trouble with the law since the charge.
Joyce also asked the court to consider having Gouthro pay the store restitution, though he could not say with certainty that the store did not recover the goods.
Judge Jeanne Burch, citing in part the lack of certainty, decided that Gouthro would instead pay $300 to the St. Albert food bank. Burch also placed her on probation for one year with the condition that she pays the food bank and not return to the store.
