Consuming alcohol at a pool party and then driving home was a poor decision on Kurtis Patrick Barr’s part because he will now spend the next year catching rides with friends and family.
Barr, 43, from Moose Jaw, appeared in Moose Jaw Provincial Court recently, where he pleaded guilty to impairing driving. As part of a joint submission, he must pay $2,000 and is prohibited from driving for one year.
The Crown stayed a charge of having a blood alcohol content (BAC) level over .08.
Moose Jaw police were called around 8:05 p.m. on Aug. 30 about an impaired driver, whom they located on Stadacona Street West about 15 minutes later, Crown prosecutor Monique Paquin explained while reading the facts.
The officers arrived to find the car parked in the driveway, and after knocking on the door, Barr came outside, where he had glassy red eyes, a strong smell of alcohol and poor balance, she continued. Police arrested him and took him to the station, where he gave two breath samples that were .210 and .200.
The legal limit is .08.
Barr will be able to participate in SGI’s ignition interlock program after completing an initial program through the Crown corporation, said defence lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud. Losing his licence will affect his job since he was a heavy equipment operator.
“This will have financial consequences, estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars actually, until he gets a full driver’s licence … ,” Fonkalsrud continued. “He’s always been gainfully employed (and) involved in the community. Certainly, this was out of character for him.”
Barr was at a pool party and decided to drive home because he lived a couple of blocks away, which is something he wouldn’t normally do, the defence lawyer said, adding his client needed four months to pay the fine.
The concern with this situation is that Barr’s BAC was “extremely high,” nearly three times the legal limit, said Judge Daryl Raynar. He encouraged Barr to perform some serious self-reflection during the next year to ensure he didn’t drive impaired again, which could have much bigger consequences like re-appearing in court.
The judge accepted the joint recommendation, gave Barr until March 31, 2023, to pay, and imposed a $600 victim surcharge that must be paid within a month.
