Montague man sentenced to 45 days in jail

GEORGETOWN – A 66-year-old Montague man registered more than triple the legal limit after driving the wrong way on a roundabout at 9 a.m., narrowly missing another vehicle.

Chief judge Nancy Orr recently sentenced Paul Allan MacDonald to 45 days in jail. She told MacDonald the sentence would have been even harsher had he not taken steps recently to address his alcohol addiction.

“Obviously, there is a longterm addiction there that needs to be addressed,’’ said Orr during provincial court.

MacDonald, who has a pair of prior impaired-driving convictions, will also be on probation for 18 months and must perform 100 hours of community service. He is also prohibited from driving for two years and 45 days.

Police responded to the impaired-driving incident in Montague on March 23.

After police tapped on MacDonald’s window, he stumbled out of his vehicle and leaned against the car for support, court heard. A bottle of vodka was spotted in the vehicle.

MacDonald gave breath readings over three times the legal limit.

His lawyer requested a conditional sentence, noting MacDonald was the primary caregiver for his spouse and is not able to serve his sentence on an intermittent basis under current public health pandemic protocol.

Orr ruled a conditional sentence was not appropriate, adding MacDonald clearly was in no condition to care for his wife when he was on the road “highly, highly’’ intoxicated at nine in the morning.

MacDonald pleaded guilty to having a blood alcohol concentration that is equal to or exceeds 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood within two hours after ceasing to operate a conveyance.