WESTLOCK, Alta. – A Leduc man caught drinking and driving in Westlock more than seven years ago, then blew off his subsequent court appearances, now faces $1,500 in fines and a year-long driving suspension.
In Westlock Provincial Court Sept. 7, Justin Darcy McLeod pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration over 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood and failing to attend court, while one count of impaired driving and two additional failing to attend court charges were withdrawn by Crown prosecutor Brett Grierson.
Judge Bruce Garriock agreed to the joint-sentence submission from Grierson and duty counsel Gail Gerhart that’ll see McLeod lose his driver’s licence for the next year and pay a $1,000 fine on the impaired charge and a $500 fine for missing court — the fines are due Dec. 23, 2022. No victim-fine surcharge was imposed by Judge Garriock as Gerhart told court that McLeod, who is an apprentice pipefitter, is currently unemployed and is living off his savings.
Grierson told court that on July 18, 2015, a Westlock RCMP officer was travelling west on 100th Street in area of 110th Avenue when he spotted a white car heading east that “was travelling at a higher rate of speed.”
During the traffic stop the officer noted McLeod had watery eyes and his breath smelled of liquor. McLeod first failed a roadside screening test, then went back to the detachment where he provided two breath samples with the lowest coming in at .100, above the legal limit of .08.
In the years that followed McLeod missed at least three court dates but only pleaded guilty to not making his Oct. 11, 2017, appearance.
