Man behind wheel of ditched truck to police officer: 'I'm in trouble'

When city police discovered William Pearson's black pickup in a Nixon Road ditch in September, a rear wheel was spinning at a high rate of speed as he tried to reverse the vehicle, a judge heard Monday.

An officer knocked on the window, the driver said "I'm in trouble" and then attempted to turn off the heating button, prosecutor Trent Wilson told the court.

The 60-year-old steelworker was unsteady on his feet, his speech was quite slurred and there was an odour of alcohol on his breath, the assistant Crown attorney said.

"I just wanted to go home and I didn't make it," the accused explained to the officer, adding "I had a few drinks."

Police were alerted to the situation by another motorist, who spotted the truck driving erratically westbound on the shoulder of Second Line shortly before midnight on Sept. 24.

Pearson pleaded guilty to operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level exceeding 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood in connection with the Sept. 25 incident.

Ontario Court Justice John Condon heard his breathalyzer readings were 250 and 

240 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood — three times the legal limit.

Pearson was "a grave danger to himself and others," Wilson said.

The judge accepted the Crown and defence sentencing submission for a $2,000 fine and a 12-month driving prohibition.

"No one was injured. The only property damage was to my client's vehicle," lawyer Wayne Chorney said, adding the accused was co-operative with police throughout the entire investigation.

When he imposed the sentence, Condon told Pearson the incident suggests he has an alcohol problem — anyone else might not have been standing, the judge said.

Noting he had been convicted of impaired driving in 2000, Condon reminded him that he has been down this road before.

"Most people are here once and are never here again," the judge told Pearson. "But here you are again at age 60."

Condon suggested he take a look at his life, warning if he finds himself back in court, he will likely lose his good job because he will be going to jail.

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