Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 02/02) - A woman who worked at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre has given up her job, received a hefty fine and lost her driver licence for 15 months for driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.

Nicole Bonnetrouge, 26, pleaded guilty to both charges in territorial court Tuesday. Bonnetrouge resigned from her job as a corrections officer after the charges were laid.

The court heard RCMP officers received reports on May 22 that a vehicle which had sustained considerable damage was abandoned in the driveway of Ptarmigan Apartments. Upon arrival at the scene, police were informed the male and female passengers had left the scene and went inside one of the apartments.

Police attended the apartment and found both individuals inside. The male passenger had an injury to his head. The female, Bonnetrouge, admitted she had been driving the vehicle and had driven into a large boulder. The damage to the vehicle was later estimated at $10,000.

A breath sample indicated the woman had a blood alcohol reading of 260 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, more than three times the legal limit.

Upon sentencing, Chief Judge Robert Halifax said he has no tolerance for drivers who do not abstain from consuming alcohol. You're lucky you hit a rock instead of a person, he said.

Halifax fined Bonnetrouge a total of $1,200 plus a 15 per cent victims of crime surcharge and issued a driving prohibition of 15 months for the offence.