Having used a large amount of marijuana and crystal meth, Rebecca Yvonne Bourassa thought she could operate her vehicle, but her driving quality tipped off police that something was wrong.
Appearing in Moose Jaw provincial court on June 10, Bourassa pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle while impaired and received a fine of $1,000, a one-year driving ban, and had her licence cancelled. She was given four months to either work off the fine or pay it.
Moose Jaw police were on patrol on March 31 around 3:15 p.m. when they noticed a white Pontiac Grand Prix drive through a stop sign, Crown prosecutor Robbie Parker said while recalling the facts. Bourassa stopped for a set of traffic lights, but then waited for 30 seconds after the light had turned green before accelerating.
Police initiated a traffic stop to determine the sobriety of the driver, Parker continued. Officers discovered Bourassa had droopy eyes that were constricted, watery, and that she had difficulty keeping open.
“She told police she was in a hurry to get to her mother, who was in distress and had to go to the hospital,” he said.
However, police discovered she was a suspended driver due to unpaid fines. Officers also noticed that her movements were slow, while they had to call to her to keep her attention.
Bourassa admitted to police that she had smoked “large amounts” of cannabis in the past 24 hours, while she had consumed meth in the previous two days, said Parker. She failed a drug test, but the results from her urine sample came back negative.
Since then, Bourassa has been through a detox program and it’s going well, she told Judge Daryl Rayner. She is back home, where she looks after her son and mother.
“I really regret the whole thing,” she added.
Rayner accepted the Crown’s sentence recommendation of a $1,000 fine, the one-year driving ban, and the cancellation of Bourassa’s licence.
Moose Jaw provincial court next sits on June 12.
