An employee of a Montreal car dealership was found guilty of driving a vehicle while impaired by drugs on Wednesday, September 11 at the Valleyfield courthouse. The accused received a 90-day prison sentence, to be served intermittently starting Sunday, September 15. 

The alleged offences took place on June 11, 2023, when the woman was behind the wheel of her vehicle, a silver Pontiac Vibe, on Highway 40 in Vaudreuil-Dorion. 

“A police officer at the scene of a collision noticed her car nearby, which had stopped in the right-hand lane. The vehicle, which was not involved in the accident, was about 30 m from him. As he walked towards it, the car started up again and drove off. After finalizing the collision scene, the officer continued his evening's work before heading out to the scene of another collision. There, he noticed the car again, slowing traffic considerably by straddling the shoulder and the right-hand lane, swerving and braking unnecessarily. What's more, the car came very close to hitting a cone placed on the road to allow first responders to do their job”, summarized the prosecutor. summarized the Crown prosecutor. 

As soon as he stopped the driver, Ms. Carrière, the officer noted symptoms of impaired driving.

“It's going to take some time for him to get answers to his questions. Madame's speech is not coherent. The officer has to repeat his questions several times.She's shaking, fidgeting a lot and can't hold still,” she continued. 

Once at the police station, Ms. Carrière failed the coordination tests used to determine whether she was impaired by drugs.  

A 4th repeat offence 

After entering a guilty plea to the charges, the defense filed Ms. Carrière's criminal record.“She was fined $1,500 in 2017 for a similar history, as well as a 30-day prison sentence to be served intermittently in September 2018.In the same month, she was also fined $1,500.So this is a fourth repeat offence,” noted Judge Mylène Grégoire.

Even so, Crown prosecutor Yohann Boucher-St-Laurent confirmed that a joint suggestion had been negotiated between the parties. “The defense has provided us with evidence that madame has regularly attended A.A and N.A meetings since the commission of the facts, and that she holds a job. The suggested sentence therefore seems appropriate,” he said. 

Consequently, Judge Grégoire accepted the joint suggestion and sentenced Ms. Carrière to 90 days' imprisonment to be served intermittently, every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Leclerc Penitentiary. She will be required to report to the penitentiary on September 15. Thereafter, she will be on probation for 24 months. During the first twelve months, she will be under supervision. In addition, she will be prohibited from driving any motor vehicle on any road in Canada for a period of two years. 

“Madame recognizes her problem and has taken the necessary steps to resolve it. She now has a clean life and is doing her utmost to maintain her sobriety, which is why we will not be filing a notice of recidivism,” added Me Boucher-St-Laurent. 

The accused consented to these facts. “I got my life back under control. I've gone back to work and I'm taking care of my aging father. I understand the importance of maintaining my sobriety,” she said. 

For her part, Judge Grégoire reminded the lady that driving a motor vehicle should never be done under the influence of drugs.

“You were lucky not to have injured anyone or been involved in a fatal accident, either for yourself or for someone else.If you return to this Tribunal for a fifth repeat offence, you will no longer have a sentence to serve intermittently.It will be prison time,” she concluded, before ordering the destruction of the urine sample that had appeared as an exhibit in the file.