Man gets jail for second drunk driving conviction
A Charlottetown man who was found drunk and behind the wheel of a running vehicle in a parking lot of a bar has been sentenced.
Matthew Paul Pound, 28, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in provincial court in Charlottetown on April 11 for impaired driving.
On Jan. 13 at 11:41 p.m., Charlottetown police received a call from bar staff at Razzy's Road House on St. Peters Road that an intoxicated man was inside his vehicle the parking lot, said Crown attorney Molly Murphy at sentencing. Staff was concerned that the man – Pound – was going to drive drunk. Pound had been asked by staff to leave the bar.
Police arrived and found Pound behind the wheel and shut off the running vehicle. Pound provided a breath sample into a roadside approved screening device and failed. As a result, he was arrested and taken to the Charlottetown police station. Once there, Pound provided police with two breathalyzer samples both 140 milligrams (mg) of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The breath samples were provided at 12:58 a.m. and 1:18 a.m. Readings of 80 mg and above are a Criminal Code of Canada offence. As well, readings of 120 mg and above are considered to be an aggravating factor at sentencing.
Pound was previously convicted and sentenced in 2019 for impaired driving.
Pound did not address the court when given the opportunity. Instead, his lawyer Ben Coles apologized to the court on behalf of his client. Coles also said that Pound regrets his actions and made a mistake that won't happen again. Pound has also quit drinking in the past month.
Coles added that Pound is on sick leave from his job and has applied for a transitional housing program through the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Chief Judge Jeff Lantz sentenced Pound to 15 days in jail, a $1,500 fine and a $450 victim surcharge. Pound was also banned from driving for two years plus the time in jail.