Riders QB `extra friendly,' impaired-driving trial told
A man who reported to RCMP his suspicions that Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Jake Dolegala may have been driving while impaired last September conceded in court that he had no specialized training on detecting an impaired driver.
The trial began in Regina provincial court on Thursday for Dolegala, who faces two charges related to impaired driving. The charges against the 26-year-old American — impaired operation of a conveyance and operation of a conveyance over .08 — stem from an alleged incident near Regina on Sept. 17, 2022.
Crown witness Mark Glabus, 69, told prosecutor Loren Klein on Thursday that on the evening in question he was at the Emerald Park Co-op gas station when Dolegala walked into the store, appearing to be confused.
According to Glabus, Dolegala seemed to be uncertain whether or not he'd paid for gas at the pump. The witness testified that the football player, whom he'd never met, was friendly and even offered to pay for his gas — an offer Glabus declined. But something didn't seem right, Glabus testified.
“I did mention to the attendant, `Gee whiz, perhaps this chap shouldn't be driving,'” he told the court.
Once he left the service station, Glabus called RCMP and reported Dolegala.
The prosecutor asked Glabus on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being “blackout,” how impaired he felt Dolegala was.
“Six,” the witness replied. Under questioning from defence lawyer Matt Schmeling, Glabus agreed that was just a hunch. He'd never dealt with the quarterback before and has no special training on how to detect impairment, Glabus said.
Schmeling put to him that he didn't know whether Dolegala's ability to operate a vehicle was affected.
“That is true,” the witness said. Dolegala was “extra friendly” and Glabus agreed the offer to pay for his gas contributed to his feeling that something wasn't right.
RCMP Const. Nathan Aird responded to the scene, and eventually approached Dolegala's vehicle. The two men had a conversation which included a question from the officer about whether Dolegala had been drinking.
“He said he had a couple of beers,” Aird testified.
The officer said Dolegala later told him that earlier that day, he'd been golfing at a nearby course and had a number of drinks around noon.
He was asked to blow into a screening device. After a few failed attempts, the machine produced a failing result, according to the officer. Dolegala was then arrested and taken to the White Butte RCMP detachment, where he was given an opportunity to call a lawyer, Aird testified.
Following the call, he provided two breath samples, the officer said.
The trial continued Thursday afternoon.
Following the incident, Dolegala apologized to his teammates, fans and the Roughriders organization for a situation that he called “embarrassing.”
Dolegala made his first CFL start with the Roughriders in a 31-21 loss to the visiting Toronto Argonauts on July 24, 2022.