CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A Charlottetown man whose injuries included a fractured vertebra after he hit a pole while driving drunk in the Granville area was sentenced recently to 25 days in jail.
Edward Junior Perry, 52, appeared before Chief Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court in Charlottetown where he pleaded guilty to drunk driving.
Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Nathan Beck said that on Sept. 19 at around 11 p.m., the RCMP responded to a complaint after a vehicle hit a light pole on Rattenbury Road and knocked the power out.
The court heard two officers arrived and saw a vehicle that was badly damaged.
Beck said the police found three Coors Light in the vehicle, including one in a cup holder.
Perry told police he was driving home from fixing a boat in Summerside and was taking back roads.
Beck said Perry admitted to police he drank two shots of alcohol and three beers that day.
Perry later provided breathalyzer samples that were around three times the legal limit.
After hearing the breathalyzer readings, Orr said they must have been either big shots or big beers.
Beck told the court Perry had a prior related record that include convictions in 1989 and 2012.
Defence lawyer Conor Mullin said Perry accepted responsibility and showed remorse for his actions.
The court heard Perry had some medical issues from the accident, including three fractured ribs and a fractured vertebra.
In sentencing Perry, Orr said it was his third conviction, the breathalyzer readings were extremely aggravating and there was a serious accident.
Along with the jail time, Perry must pay a $2,000 fine and a $600 victim surcharge.
Perry is banned from driving for one year.
