Serial impaired driver Naugle dies in prison

Terry Naugle, a man known for multiple and unrepentant impaired driving offences, has died in prison.

Naugle, who was suffering from lung cancer, died of “natural causes following an illness” on Dec. 12 in New Brunswick's Dorchester Penitentiary, according to a Correctional Service Canada news release.

“At the time of his death, Mr. Naugle had been serving a sentence of 14 years and 14 days for operating a conveyance while impaired, operation while prohibited, obstruct public/peace officer, possession schedule I/ II substance for the purpose of trafficking and possession property obtained by crime, since September 22, 2020,” the CSC release said.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges, which resulted from three traffic stops between July 2019 and February of this year.

Naugle, just a day short of turning 63 at the time of his death, had 23 prior convictions for impaired driving, failing the breathalyzer or refusing to provide a breath sample and 15 for driving while prohibited.

He has served six federal prison terms, including an 8.5-year sentence he was given in 2010.

At his sentencing in September, Justice Jamie Campbell described the Gaetz Brook man as “the worse of the worst, a dangerous man.

“But people can't see what I see right now,” Campbell said. “He's a very sick man. He has lung cancer. His prognosis is not good.

“It is likely that he will die in jail. He looks older than his 62 years. He's not just a dying man; he appears to be a broken man who will likely never (again) experience life outside of an institution.

Tony Amoud, Naugle's Legal Aid defence lawyer, said he was saddened for the man.

“It is something we knew that was happening,” Amoud said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

“It's a sad end, I guess, to an arguably sad life.”

Amoud said Naugle had a very tough life growing up.

“My understanding is … he was kind of surrounded by some abuse and some substance abuse and then that led to him unfortunately kind of entering a criminal lifestyle. My understanding in his past, especially with most of his record is drinking and driving, he did have a very significant substance abuse problem and unfortunately this is where things ended up.”

Amoud said it became obvious near the end that Naugle was no longer embracing a criminal lifestyle.

“In my view, Mr. Naugle, by the end of it, I do think that his deterioration of health was probably a big page turner for him in realizing that he has led a difficult life. It was a sad ending.”

STEVE BRUCE • FILE Serial impaired driver Terry Lee Naugle is escorted into the Dartmouth courthouse last February to face his latest charges. Naugle, who had terminal lung cancer, died in prison on Saturday.