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Driving down the back alley from the bar still gets you pulled over

Driving down the back alley from the bar in Bienfait did not keep Logan Ron Earl Neff Lebel from getting a driving under the influence conviction.
Court House Christmas

Driving down the back alley from the bar in Bienfait did not keep Logan Ron Earl Neff Lebel from getting a driving under the influence conviction.

Lebel pleaded guilty in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday to operating a motor vehicle while his blood alcohol was in excess of .08.

Crown prosecutor Ali Shaw said at 9 p.m. on Oct. 19, police observed an SUV leaving the Bienfait bar by the back alley at a higher rate of speed. They pulled over the SUV and Lebel, the driver, had red eyes and was slurring his ‘s.’

There was a female passenger in the car as well, who had also been consuming alcohol.

Lebel’s breathalyzer results were .160 and .170.

The Crown attorney acknowledged Lebel’s early guilty plea. The attorney asked for a $1,300 fine, $300 more than the mandatory minimum due to the high blood alcohol level. He also asked for a one-year driving prohibition, also a mandatory minimum sentence requirement.

Lebel, representing himself, said to the judge, “It was a bad mistake. I will learn from it and not do it anymore.”

Judge Margaret Gordon asked if he works, and he replied he worked fulltime for a local trucking company.

“It was a pretty routine stop,” she said, and agreed with the Crown’s suggested elevated fine and driving prohibition in passing sentence. She also added the applicable victim impact surcharge. Lebel was given until the end of May next year to pay.