In Keith Christiansen's own words, he made a bad decision when he stepped out of his parked transport truck with his English bull dog at a White River bar and grill.
It was 9 a.m. on Nov. 11, and two Ontario Provincial Police officers on general patrol along Highway 17 spotted him as he stumbled and fell in the parking lot.
Concerned that he may have medical issues, the cops spoke to him, a judge heard Thursday in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom where he pleaded guilty to over 80.
The Hamilton man indicated to them that he had consumed three drinks of alcohol on the prior evening.
The 62-year-old was taken to the OPP detachment, where he provided breath samples at 10:55 a.m. and 11:19 a.m., prosecutor Stuart Woods said.
Both readings showed 240 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, he told Ontario Court Justice Andrew Buttazzoni.
The accused was in the driver's seat of a running vehicle, the assistant Crown attorney said.
There is no indication he was driving on the highway, but Christiansen had care and control of the vehicle.
Woods and the accused's representative jointly recommended the mandatory minimum fine of $2,000 and a 12-month driving prohibition.
Christiansen has no record, but he had highly elevated readings – three times the legal limit – and was operating a large, commercial vehicle, the Crown said.
The defence said her client's fairly early pleas saved court time and resources. At the time of the incident, his father had just passed away, and he was dealing with depression and grief.
Since that time, Christiansen has lost his job, is unemployed and says he has been denied Employment Insurance.
"I have no licence, no job and no income and I take full responsibility for my actions," he told Buttazzoni. "I regret the decision I made and for that I have to be responsible."
Christiansen said he was depressed following his father's death, medication didn't help and he fell off the wagon after 20 years of sobriety.
Since the incident he attended a month-long residential treatment program and has remained sober since completing it at the end of December
As well, he has reconnected with AA and attends five-to-seven Zoom meetings a week.
"Clearly you have learned a lesson for making a bad decision," Buttazzoni told him, noting there was no evidence of driving.
"It's another example of when somebody underestimates how long it takes for alcohol to clear the system," the judge said. "You made a bad decision and the collateral damage is you."
Buttazzoni imposed the recommended sentence and gave Christiansen 12 months to pay the fine.