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Rented joyride

Maria Canton
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 30/01) - Joyriding in a stolen rental car comes with a price, as a 23-year-old Yellowknife man learned in territorial court on Tuesday.

Charged with possession of stolen property obtained by crime and with operating a vehicle while disqualified, Joshua McCrae pleaded guilty to both charges and was served a $1,000 fine and a day in jail.

"You are stepping closer and closer towards a term of imprisonment, in fact, you are so close that you are only an inch away," Judge Brian Bruser said, referring to the man's lengthy list of convictions consisting of fines and probation.

But because court was told that McCrae felt intimidated by the person who allegedly stole the vehicle, Bruser imposed a "significant" fine.

McCrae was caught by the RCMP driving the stolen rental car on the Dettah ice road. The woman who rented the car was at the movies when it went missing.

Court heard the key was not in the car, but the doors were broken and did not lock.

A background check on McCrae showed that he was operating a vehicle while disqualified, his punishment for another crime committed while he was outside of the NWT.

Impaired driving nets fine

A man who had "slurred speech, poor co-ordination, an odour of alcohol and watery eyes" when his vehicle collided with another at an intersection was fined $1,000 and lost his licence for one year.

Serge Mercier, a self-professed non-drinker, pleaded guilty to a charge of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level over 80 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood in territorial court Tuesday.

Two readings from a breathalyser test determined his blood alcohol level to be at 100 mg and later 90 mg shortly after the accident.

Defence lawyer Andrew Fox drew a picture of a man who was "unsteady on his feet" and suffered from "signs of impairment" because he was in an accident, not because he was drinking.

"The fact that he consumed alcohol may or may not have had anything to do with the accident," said Fox.

"The signs of impairment could have had to do with the fact he had just been in a two-vehicle accident, rather than him drinking too much."

Judge Brian Bruiser, however, said the fact was that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

"We are dealing with low (blood alcohol) readings here, but low levels kill and maim people and lead to a tremendous amount of damage to property," he said.