Impaired driver prevented from going back on the road

Derek Stephen White pleads guilty to failing a breathalyzer and failing to comply with a probation order

A 40-year-old P.E.I. man who was found to be more than three times the legal limit was sentenced recently to 10 days in jail.

Derek Stephen White appeared before chief Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court in Charlottetown.

He pleaded guilty to failing a breathalyzer and failing to comply with a probation order.

The court heard on Feb. 11, RCMP received a complaint of a possible impaired driver who was in the ditch near Hilltop Drive in Cornwall. The driver had been helped out of the vehicle by Good Samaritans and was taken to his parents’ home nearby.

The complainant stated he came across a vehicle stuck in a ditch and stopped to help.

He knocked on the window to see if the man in the driver’s seat was OK.

Two other men also showed up to help at this time.

The driver got out of the vehicle and fell down and was identified as the accused. There was a smell of alcohol on his breath and he had an unsteady gait.

The vehicle was freed, and the Good Samaritans agreed to drive White to his parent’s home.

There was no one home to care for White so the Good Samaritans called police because they were fearful he would drive again and waited with him until police arrived.

When police approached him, they instantly could smell alcohol. They also noted that his eyes were glossy, his speech was slurred and his words were incoherent.

Police later found open liquor in his vehicle.

White gave breath samples that were more than three times the legal limit. He was lodged at the Provincial Correctional Centre for the night.

At the time of the incident, he was bound by a probation order to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.

White has a prior criminal record and owes more than $20,000 to accounts receivable.

Defence attorney Yolande Murphy said White has completed detox and has been sober since the incident.

Orr commended the actions of the Good Samaritans for not only providing assistance but making sure White could not go back on the road.

In addition to jail time, he received 18 months of probation and is prohibited from driving for one year.

He must also complete 100 hours of community service work and pay $200 to the victims of crime fund.