Jail sentence for impaired driving

Driving drunk into a ditch while being pursued by police has led to a 45-day jail sentence for a Charlottetown man.

“I think I learned my lesson this time,” said Dustin Daniel Thorne, 23, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 19 in provincial court in Charlottetown for impaired driving.

Thorne represented himself at the court appearance.

On Saturday, Nov. 26, at around 1 a.m., Charlottetown police on patrol saw a black motor vehicle on Raiders Road drive go through a stop sign, said Crown attorney Jeff MacDonald. Police activated the overhead emergency lights in order to pull the vehicle over, but the vehicle — driven by Thorne — sped up and drove erratically through another stop sign on Enman Crescent.

The vehicle then turned right onto University Avenue and stopped on MacKinnon Road, where a passenger got out of the vehicle and ran towards Browns Court. As the vehicle backed up and tried to turn around, it went into a ditch, said MacDonald.

Thorne stumbled out of the vehicle and showed other signs of impairment, such as red and glossy eyes, and slurred speech. When asked by police, Thorne said the passenger who ran away was someone he was giving a ride home and he didn’t know his name.

At the Charlottetown police station, Thorne agreed to provide two breathalyzer samples of 220 and 200 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood — more than double the legal limit of 80 milligrams.

Thorne’s criminal record includes an impaired driving conviction in 2020 and a conviction for driving while prohibited in 2021. For the previous impaired driving offence, Thorne was sentenced to $1,560 in fines and an 18month driving ban. For breaching that driving ban in 2021, he received 30 days in jail and a one-year driving ban.

Thorne said he is a drywall worker in the construction industry. Chief Judge Jeff Lantz allowed Thorne to serve the 45-day jail sentence on weekends so he could continue to work.

In addition, Thorne was fined $2,000 and ordered to pay a $600 victim surcharge. He was also banned from driving for two years plus the time in jail. Since Thorne was given a weekend sentence, he was also placed on probation until it is served in full.