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'I turned myself around': Drunk driver tells judge he learned his lesson

32-year-old who owns a construction business, and has been involved in previous domestic violence incidents, pleaded guilty to impaired-related charge and assault
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Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse file photo

Kyle Maitland had been drinking when he showed up at a girlfriend's house nearly three years ago.

He had driven from Trout Lake, north of the city, to the west end of Sault Ste. Marie.

Police were called, and when officers arrived he was sitting on the stairs in the backyard.

"He was boisterous and clearly intoxicated," and insisted he hadn't been behind the wheel, prosecutor Adrianna Mucciarelli said last week, when he appeared in a local courtroom.

"I'm drunk but I wasn't driving," Maitland told the officers on June 14, 2021.

Prior to that, the Ontario Provincial  Police had received a call from a Trout Lake resident regarding an altercation with an individual who had been drinking.

That individual's vehicle was the one parked outside the Second Line West residence where city police responded to the call about the accused.

Maitland, 32, pleaded guilty to over 80, as well as assault in connection with an incident that occurred 12 months later.

He also was convicted of offences for breaching a release order and missing court.

Ontario Court Justice John Condon heard he recorded breathalyzer readings of 189 and 187 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

The assault occurred on June 10, 2022, when he slapped the victim in the face.

At the time, Maitland was on a release order that prohibited him from being within 100 metres of the woman.

The Crown and defence called for a $2,000 fine and 12-month driving prohibition for the drinking and driving offence.

A sentence of time served plus 12 months probation should be imposed for the domestic violence-related offences, they recommended.

Defence lawyer Jasmine Gassi Harnden said her client has no prior criminal record and owns a construction business.

He "has been very anxious to resolve this matter" and to take responsibility for his actions.

"He acknowledges he made a great deal of mistakes that brought him here today."

Maitland told the judge he has completed a detox program and has been sober for eight months.

"I turned myself around," he said. "I don't intend on drinking anymore."

Condon told him it's encouraging that he's been sober and is employed, but admonished him for getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Noting Maitland's blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, he said: “You drove from Trout Lake to Sault Ste. Marie" and were a risk to anyone on the highway and city streets.

As well, he had been involved in domestic violence incidents, Condon said, agreeing with the lawyers' submissions.

He imposed a sentence of time served — the equivalent of 108 days — for those incidents.

Maitland will be on probation for a year with conditions that include no communication with the victim.

He must remain 25 metres away from her and must participate in counselling, including the Partner Assault Response program.

As well, he is prohibited from possessing weapons for two years and must provide a DNA sample for the national database.

Condon gave him 12 months to pay the $2,000 drinking and driving fine.



About the Author: Linda Richardson

Linda Richardson is a freelance journalist who has been covering Sault Ste. Marie's courts and other local news for more than 45 years.
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