GEORGETOWN, P.E.I. — A 70-year-old man who says he has not had a driver’s licence since 1985 had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when he crashed his vehicle in a field.
Donald Edgar Peters of Valley Field was sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading guilty to impaired driving.
He will be on probation for 18 months after his release.
He is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle for three years and 45 days but also faces the challenge of getting a licence.
Police responded to a single-vehicle collision at about 1:30 p.m. in Valleyfield on Oct. 1. Peters' vehicle was flipped over on its roof in a field.
Peters, who was slurring his speech and was incoherent at times, told police he was drunk.
He was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries. Blood samples taken showed his blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit.
Before passing sentence, judge Nancy Orr viewed several photos showing a number of alcoholic beverages in Peters' vehicle at the time of the crash.
“It’s a wonder you weren’t killed,’’ Orr said.
“It seems as though you have quite a problem with the drinking.’’
The Crown said it was “lucky that other individuals weren’t injured.’’
Peters' prior criminal record includes convictions for impaired driving, dangerous driving, stealing a car, fraud and break and enter.
