Medicine mix-up may have fueled airport incident

A P.E.I. man who unlawfully drove onto the Charlottetown airport runway in July told police he had suicidal thoughts.

Matthew David Joseph Carter, 35, of Charlottetown pleaded guilty Monday to impaired operation of an automobile and damage to property.

He will be sentenced Sept. 17. Police responded to a call at 11:07 a.m. on July 16 after security spotted Carter parked at the southeast portion of the airport’s active east-west runway. A plane landed just 13 minutes later.

Carter told police he was doing nothing wrong but also spoke of “suicidal ideation,’’ the Crown noted in reading the facts into the record in provincial court.

Empty prescription pill bottles were found in the vehicle.

Defence lawyer Peter Ghiz told the court his client Carter had mistakenly taken his nighttime medication in the morning, resulting in him spiralling out of control.

Carter had trouble staying awake while undergoing drug recognition testing after he was apprehended at the airport, the court heard Monday.

He has been in jail since the incident.

Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO Doug Newson said the locks on the fence where the accused entered were damaged.

“It’s our belief, obviously, that he cut the gates and then drove on to the property,’’ said Newson.