Retired parks cop driving with ‘incredibly high’ alcohol level

Aretired police officer caught driving with more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system did not impress a local judge.

“The danger you created that day was really quite incredible,” Judge Fergus O’Donnell told Donald Jahns after the 53-year-old pleaded guilty Monday in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of over 80.

“This offence, and you know this, kills more Canadians than another other criminal offence. The message just doesn’t seem to be getting through.”

On Feb.13, court was told, an individual called police shortly before 10 a.m. to report a co-worker appeared intoxicated and had just left in a company van.

Police stopped Jahns near the intersection of McLeod and Montrose roads.

Abreath test indicated the defendant’s blood/alcohol level was 280 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

Court was told Jahns was an officer with Niagara Parks Police for almost 30 years, retiring five years ago.

The judge told the defendant it was merely by chance that he didn’t kill himself or someone else on the road that morning.

“These readings are incredibly high,” O’Donnell said before imposing a fine of $2,000 and prohibiting him from driving for 12 months.

“These are not the highest I’ve seen, but they are pretty close.”