Brandon woman gets 18 months driving prohibition

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This article was published 24/12/2024 (268 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon woman was barred from operating a vehicle for 18 months after pleading guilty to impaired driving charges.

Taylor Christie, 32, was before the Court Of King’s Bench in Brandon on Monday, where Judge Patrick Sullivan barred her from driving for a year and a half, after she crashed her car into a snowbank in the 400 block of Rosser Avenue last week.

Taking a serious view of the charge of impaired driving and emphasizing the possible need for rehabilitation, the judge also imposed a $2,000 fine on Christie, to be paid over the next 18 months.

Sullivan delivered his sentence to Christie on Monday morning after she was charged on Dec. 18 with impaired driving. This was the second time Christie was charged with the same offence, following an earlier incident involving impaired driving in October of 2015.

In issuing the sentence, the judge said he hopes that Wheat City residents will make smarter choices when it comes to driving responsibly, especially during the winter holidays, which typically see a spike in the number of such incidents being reported that usually stem from higher alcohol consumption during the holiday festivities. But he also credited Ms. Christie for pleading guilty and for doing so swiftly.

“What can be said about this situation is that you’ve entered the guilty plea at an astonishing rate. This incident only occurred five days ago. This is a very quick guilty plea that does demonstrate remorse, as you have said. This is you taking accountability and responsibility for that. And I want to reflect that mitigating factor in a sentence,” Sullivan said.

Judge Sullivan also acknowledged the severity of impaired driving, and that Christie was driving while being at least double the legal limit allowed for alcohol consumption when she was apprehended by Brandon police following the crash.

The judge also emphasized just how hazardous winter driving conditions can be throughout the Westman region, even if a driver is not impaired.

“I ask you to consider how you conduct yourself. Clearly, your ability to operate a vehicle on this occasion was heavily impaired by alcohol. You were double the legal limit. You were struggling to control the vehicle such that you had effectively a single vehicle accident in the snow bank. It is really a miracle that it wasn’t another vehicle, a person or a pedestrian that you hit because those are all real possibilities,” Sullivan said. “Having previously been before the court for impaired driving, bearing in mind it was almost nine or 10 years ago, it still suggests to me, that maybe the lesson hasn’t been learned yet by you,” he added.

This sentiment was also echoed by Crown attorney Sarah Kok.

“We have seen far too many fatalities in the province of Manitoba, and it’s very lucky that Ms. Christie herself wasn’t injured, and that no one else was involved in any kind of an accident that resulted in bodily harm or death,” Kok said during the court hearing on Monday.

“Impaired driving is a scourge on our highways. It accounts for the highest number of fatalities and accidents on the roadway, particularly at this time of year, and a message needs to be sent to you, as well as other impaired drivers,” Sullivan added.

Christie did not have any legal representation in pleading guilty to all the charges against her.

According to Robert Harrison, a longtime defense attorney in Brandon at the firm Hunt, Miller, & Co, people tend to make less responsible decisions when they’re under the influence, which is especially relevant when it comes to impaired driving.

“I would guess it’s because there’s more social events involving alcohol around this time of year between Christmas and New Year’s. People have parties, get togethers, and usually alcohol is served at these events. And unfortunately, people get behind the wheel when they’re under the influence,” said Harrison, who hopes people will plan alternative methods of transportation if they plan on drinking over the holidays.

“The biggest thing is to get the message to people to not do it, and to find other ways of transportation,” Harrison said.

Between taxi services, designated drivers, or sleeping at a friend’s place for the night, there is always an alternative to driving while intoxicated. Law enforcement officials in Brandon hope that the people they protect will take precautions when it comes to protecting themselves too.

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