Drunk driver had double legal limit in system
Frederick Lloyd Coates, 48, of Coles Island, had related conviction dating back to 2010
When a Mountie pulled over a truck this fall that had so much front-end damage it wasn’t road-worthy, the officer soon discovered the driver was smashed as well.
Fredericton Lloyd Coates, 48, of Route 10 in Coles Island, pleaded guilty in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday to a criminal charge of having an elevated blood-alcohol level within two hours of driving and a Motor Vehicle Act charge of driving while suspended.
Crown prosecutor Jennifer Bueno said that at about 9:20 p.m. on Sept. 9, an RCMP officer was on patrol in the Coles Island area when she noticed a grey pickup truck veer into oncoming traffic.
“The truck was seriously damaged in the front,” the prosecutor said, and it had a broken taillight.
The Mountie turned around and caught up to the truck, pulling it over, court heard.
“The driver stated he did not have a driver’s licence,” Bueno said, adding the man at the wheel - identified as Coates - also admitted he had no insurance.
The officer found the truck wasn’t road-worthy due to the damage, she said, and there was an open can of beer on the pickup’s dash.
Coates also confirmed he’d been drinking that night, the prosecutor said.
The officer administered a roadside screening test, which Coates failed, court heard, and he was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving.
Bueno said he was taken to the RCMP detachment in Sussex, and breathalyzer tests revealed his blood-alcohol level was 160 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood - twice the legal limit of 80 mg.
The prosecutor said Coates has a criminal record that includes a prior conviction for a similar offence, but court heard it was dated, going back to 2010.
Given the elevated breathalyzer reading and the danger Coates posed on the road that night, she asked the court to impose an elevated fine for the impaired offence and the standard fine for driving while suspended.
Duty counsel Michael Mallory said while the high readings were an aggravating factor in the case, Coates’ early guilty pleas and his co-operation with police on the night in question were mitigating factors in his favour.
“He accepts full responsibility,” the defence lawyer said.
Judge Cameron Gunn said someone having double the legal limit in his system was concerning.
“It takes a lot to get to 160,” he said.
He imposed a fine totalling $2,600 for the impaired-driving offence plus another $600 for driving while suspended.
The judge also prohibited Coates from driving anywhere in Canada for one year.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.