Devastated that her friend had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Maureen Hansen went out drinking and consumed so much alcohol that her driving interrupted operations at 15 Wing Airbase.
Moose Jaw RCMP received a call at 7:33 p.m. on Jan. 20 about a vehicle that had crashed through the western perimeter fence of the military complex, and while officers couldn’t locate the driver, they could see a vehicle in the airfield with its hazard lights on, Crown prosecutor Monique Paquin said in Moose Jaw Provincial Court recently while reading the facts.
At 7:51 p.m., the RCMP members found the vehicle on the runway and activated their emergency lights after the driver accelerated toward them, prompting the vehicle to stop, she continued.
One officer asked Hansen, 59, from Moose Jaw, how she was doing and whether she had been drinking. The Mountie also noticed that the vehicle’s tires were deflated after the airbase deployed a spike belt to slow down the car.
Since there were no obvious injuries to Hansen or her friend — she indicated she didn’t need emergency attention — police gave her an initial breath test that she failed, prompting them to arrest her, said Paquin.
However, the Mounties eventually took her to the hospital because of some lingering issues. After waiting for her tests to conclude, they acquired an official breath sample that registered at .208 milligrams per cent, nearly three times the legal limit.
Since Hansen pleaded guilty to impaired driving in provincial court, Paquin recommended that she receive a fine of $2,000 and a one-year driving prohibition.
As part of the joint submission, the Crown agreed to stay a charge of mischief.
“I just made some poor choices (that night). I was out driving with my friend, and I just heard that she had cancer and she was dying,” Hansen told Judge Marylynne Beaton.
“Then you had way too much alcohol,” the judge replied, before imposing the fine, driving prohibition, and victim fine surcharge of $600.
