Yellowknife (Mar 05/03) - A dangerous high-speed snowmobile chase through Northlands Trailer Park netted a Yellowknife man a hefty fine and a stiff rebuke.

Corey Stead, 23, was charged with attempting to evade a peace officer after he sped away and was finally cornered and smashed into by a bylaw officer driving another snowmobile last November.

Judge Brian Bruser handed Stead a $1,000 fine and a six-month driving prohibition. Bruser said Stead's "fairly stupefying driver's abstract," which includes numerous charges of speeding, stunting and driving without a licence was a factor in the judgment. Bruser said the record showed Stead's lack of respect for the law.

"You're in the big leagues now," said Bruser. "You do something like this again and you'll spend some time in jail."

Bruser also noted that Stead's actions could have killed or maimed one of the pedestrians or cross-country skiers who use the Frame Lake area trails.

Crown attorney Alex Bernard argued that "driving is a privilege not a right and it's clear that Mr. Stead is in abuse of that right."

The charges arose from an incident on Nov. 24 last year. Bylaw officer Const. Darryl Foster said he clocked Stead and a friend going 76 km/h on Frame Lake.

Stead, who had recently purchased the snowmobile and did not have insurance or registration for it, turned the vehicle around and sped away before Foster could stop him.

Stead and his friend split up on the lake and Foster chose to follow Stead. A dramatic chase across Frame Lake and through Northlands ensued. Foster said that Stead reached speeds of 120 km/h, jumped a pedestrian trail and ran two stop signs on the wrong side of the road during the chase.

The chase continued until Stead crested a hill, reached a dead end and turned his snowmobile around. Foster said he was unable to see that Stead had stopped until the last moment.

"I spun around and hit his snowmobile while travelling backwards."

Stead argued that he hadn't seen Foster chasing him and was merely taking the new snowmobile out for a ride. He said he had stopped to wait for his friend to catch up when Foster ran into him.

Northlands resident Judy Russell was standing outside her home when the snowmobiles flew through the trailer park.

"I heard them coming up the street, they were roaring," said Russell on the witness stand.