Taxi driver guilty of impaired driving
Maria Canton
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 24/01) - An off-duty taxi cab driver who drove away from the Gold Range Bar with his taxi dome light on and headlights off pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving in Territorial Court yesterday.
Gorman Pittman, 56, who had already lost his job, was fined $1,400, prohibited from driving for one year and sentenced to one day in jail by Judge Michel Bourassa..
Pittman's blood-alcohol level was 0.21 mmL, almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 mmL. The incident, as told to the court by Crown counsel Sandi Aitkens, occurred on Oct. 4, 2000 after RCMP officers observed the man staggering out of the downtown bar and into the back alley. Police, who initially followed Pittman as more of a precaution against the recent "jumpings" of intoxicated persons by youths, watched as the man climbed behind the wheel of a parked taxi cab and began to drive away.
Following in their cruiser, police observed Pittman driving slowly and breaking for "no apparent reason". It was noted that he did not turn on his headlights, but the taxi dome light was on.
Pittman then made wide-turns into the wrong lanes and didn't use his signal lights.
Suddenly, Aitkens told the court, he accelerated sharply, sending the car into a 120- degree spin. The police drove up to the car as the man was spinning the tires in an attempt to put the car in reverse.
After "not doing well" on sobriety tests, the man was taken to the police station where he was administered two breathalyser tests.
Defence counsel for the Yellowknife resident of 18-years told the court that Pittman depended greatly on his drivers licence for employment -- he is currently looking for work in the area.
"This man does not have a drinking problem, it is simply a case of him staying too long at the bar and making an unwise decision to drive home," said Kelly Payne.
