P.E.I. man gets jail for drunk driving car crash
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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Crashing head-on into an oncoming motorcar whereas driving drunk greater than 4 occasions the authorized restrict has led to a 20-month jail sentence for a P.E.I. man.
“Mr. MacCallum has induced a substantial amount of ache and struggling to (the opposite driver), and that’s not one thing that may be undone,” mentioned Decide Nancy Orr on Aug. 2 in provincial court docket in Charlottetown at sentencing for Donald Wade MacCallum.
MacCallum, 55, beforehand pleaded responsible on June 20 to the cost of impaired driving inflicting bodily hurt. MacCallum was additionally charged with harmful driving inflicting bodily hurt, assaulting a police officer and uttering threats to police, however these allegations had been stayed.
Plea
At sentencing, MacCallum argued that he did not beforehand plead responsible to impaired driving inflicting bodily hurt. As an alternative, he mentioned he was discovered responsible of being in care and management of his Mazda pickup truck and was discovered not responsible of the opposite fees at a trial.
“That is not what occurred,” mentioned Decide Nancy Orr to MacCallum. The decide then defined {that a} trial did not occur. As an alternative, MacCallum pleaded responsible to impaired driving inflicting bodily hurt, and when he disputed the details learn in court docket, a listening to was held with 5 witnesses known as to testify. MacCallum additionally argued that he wasn’t driving the pickup truck and not one of the witnesses recognized him as the driving force.
“I do not suppose you had been on the identical listening to I used to be at,” mentioned Orr.
Information
Orr then recounted the details of the impaired driving inflicting bodily hurt offence.
On Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, the RCMP responded to the scene of a head-on motorcar collision at round 2:30 p.m. between MacCallum and one other car on Nice Grove Street. Witnesses mentioned that MacCallum was driving a pickup truck erratically and “fishtailing.” He then pulled out into the oncoming lane to cross a car in entrance of him and nearly instantly collided head-on with a blue Hyundai. Each MacCallum and the feminine driver of the Hyundai sustained critical accidents because of the crash. A witness recognized MacCallum as the driving force of the pickup truck. After the crash, MacCallum sat within the driver’s seat of his pickup truck slumped over the steering wheel with the airbag deployed. MacCallum bought out of the pickup truck and sat on the facet of the ditch. Witnesses who interacted with MacCallum that day described him as “fairly intoxicated” and “fairly belligerent.” There was no indication from the witnesses that anybody apart from MacCallum was within the pickup truck on the time of the crash, mentioned Orr. MacCallum’s blood-alcohol studying was 328 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood – greater than 4 occasions the authorized restrict of 80 mg.
Sentencing
Crown legal professional John Diamond beneficial a jail sentence of 18-20 months for MacCallum.
MacCallum’s prior felony file features a 2005 conviction for refusing a breathalyzer demand. MacCallum represented himself in court docket.
Along with the 20-month jail sentence, Orr sentenced MacCallum to 18 months of probation and a three-year (and 20-month) driving ban.
Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He could be reached by e mail at [email protected] and could be adopted on Twitter @terry_mcn.
