Man accused of ‘very dangerous’ driving denied bail

A Saskatchewan man who allegedly blew more than three times the legal limit after landing his truck in a ditch in the RM of Pipestone was denied bail in Brandon provincial court on Thursday.

Jesse Janz, 38, is charged with several offences, including impaired operation, dangerous operation and obstructing a police officer.

The Crown opposed Janz’s release, arguing that he is likely to reoffend and may not show up to court.

Crown attorney Grant Hughes outlined the allegations behind the charges, which haven’t been proven in court.

Virden RCMP received a report of a dangerous driver in the Rural Municipality of Pipestone last Saturday.

The caller reported that a black truck drove through a fence and almost collided head-on with another vehicle, Hughes said. They reported the truck was travelling north on Highway 83.

Police received a call from another person, who said the truck was travelling in the wrong lane and they had to swerve to avoid a collision, court heard.

“The truck was then reported to be in the ditch, the driver being a lone male occupant,” Hughes said.

Less than 15 minutes after the first call, Mounties arrived on scene and saw several vehicles parked on the northbound shoulder and a black truck in the ditch, the Crown said.

Officers approached the vehicle and saw a man lying in the box of the truck with keys in his hand, court heard. When police told him to drop the keys, he leaned over the vehicle and dropped them in the grass, Hughes said.

“The officer could smell a strong odour of alcohol coming from Mr. Janz,” the Crown said. He added that officers noted he had glossy eyes and was speaking and moving slowly.

Police arrested the accused for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and impaired operation, at which point he started to resist and made several comments in a “threatening manner” toward the officers, Hughes said.

He refused to get in the police vehicle and tried to push away from the officers, the Crown said. Officers eventually arrested the man again for obstructing a police officer.

While the accused was in custody, an officer tested the keys in the truck, which worked, and found several packages of illegal cigarettes and an open container of vodka, Hughes said.

Mounties took the accused to the Virden RCMP detachment, where he completed two breath tests that resulted in readings of 0.280 and 0.290. Hughes said the readings were concerning.

The Crown said the accused lives in Saskatchewan, which causes concerns about whether he will attend his court hearings in Brandon.

Hughes said, most importantly, the Crown had zero confidence that if the accused were released, he would refrain from driving a vehicle and driving impaired.

He said this is supported by the man’s criminal record, which he described as “full of” convictions for driving while disqualified and impaired operation.

Janz also has several charges out of Saskatchewan, which haven’t been proven in court, including driving over 0.08, impaired operation, uttering threats and resisting arrest, Hughes said.

“It appears his behaviour when he gets arrested is often the same,” Hughes said.

Defence lawyer Charlotte Bueckert-Dyck proposed a bail plan that included a $500 promise to pay, a $1,500 cash deposit and a $500 surety.

The plan would have Janz living with his mother in the town of Indian Head, Sask., under a curfew and included conditions prohibiting him from being in the driver’s seat of a vehicle or drinking alcohol.

Bueckert-Dyck said when Janz was a teenager, his five-year-old brother died after being hit by a semi, and his alcohol abuse stems from this.

“This was incredibly traumatic and incredibly difficult for Mr. Janz. He tells me that he blames himself for this accident, and it was after this time he really began abusing alcohol, and he’s struggled with it ever since,” she said.

She said Janz previously went to a treatment centre in his home province, and he’s working on applying to the same centre.

Janz was in Manitoba at the time of the allegations because he was visiting an uncle who underwent heart surgery, court heard.

Judge Patrick Sullivan described Janz’s alleged actions on May 16 as “very serious and dangerous.”

Sullivan said the proposed bail plan was strong, but he wasn’t convinced Janz could be managed in the community.

“My concern is that your relationship with alcohol is currently out of control and leading you to make poor decisions,” Sullivan said.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com