‘Very fortunate nobody got hurt that night,’ judge tells impaired driver

A domestic complaint alerted police to a possible impaired driver behind the wheel of a woman's vehicle last year.

When she spoke to officers on Nov. 26, the complainant advised them he was driving her white Toyota Highlander, a judge heard Thursday.

Ontario Provincial Police later found the abandoned vehicle in a ditch near Red Rock.

Kent Mousseau, 54, pleaded guilty to over 80 in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom.

The Dennis Township man was spotted in the driver's seat on Lakeshore Drive shortly after 10 p.m.

Officers located the vehicle in the ditch at 11:42 p.m., prosecutor Stuart Woods told the court.

Minutes later, officers found him making his way along the road. 

Mousseau wasn’t walking in a straight line, had blood shot eyes, and a strong odour of alcohol, the assistant attorney Crown said.

He recorded breathalyzer readings of 270 and 250 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. 

The Crown and defence lawyer Bruce Willson jointly proposed a $2,500 fine and a 12-month driving prohibition.

Ontario Court Justice Andrew Buttazoni heard the accused has no prior record.

Mousseau's "extremely elevated readings attract an elevated fine," as well he was in a collision, Woods said.

"Anyone else on that road would have been in jeopardy."

Willson asked the judge to give his client six months to pay the fine and victim surcharge.

Buttazzoni agreed with the sentence, noting the "clearly aggravating" factors.

"It's very fortunate nobody got hurt that night," he said. "The circumstances would have been different."

Mousseau has six months to pay the monetary penalties.