SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The case of a 35-year-old woman facing 105 charges relating to the forgery of cheques was adjourned for another month on Tuesday in territorial court.

Defence lawyer Jay Bran had recently taken on the case and requested time to review it.

"There's obviously a lot of information to be reviewed," said Bran.

Dionne Bowden is charged with theft, as well as numerous charges of forgery and knowingly using forged documents to allegedly steal approximately $181,000 from her former employer, Ollerhead and Associates Ltd., a local surveying and engineering firm.

The crimes allegedly took place from Aug. 5, 2008 through to Dec. 29, 2009.

Bowden was not in court on Tuesday and Judge Robert Gorin allowed the adjournment. The case will next be in court on Dec. 7.

Drunk driving diamond driller

A 20-year-old diamond driller who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol was fined $1,300 in territorial court on Tuesday.

It was the young man's first run-in with the law and he pleaded guilty at an early opportunity. However, his blood alcohol level of .18 grams per 100 millilitres of blood - much higher than the legal limit of .08 grams per 100 millilitres - was considered an "aggravating factor" by Crown prosecutor Mathieu St. Germain and Judge Robert Gorin.

St. Germain said the police were called to Borden Drive at 2:10 a.m. on July 25 after receiving a report of a pickup truck speeding down the street, spinning its tires.

The police found the vehicle being driven on Old Airport Road without its lights on, and pulled it over. They noticed the driver had "red, glossy eyes" and smelled of alcohol.

"He seemed very intoxicated," said St. Germain.

Defence lawyer Tracy Bock said the incident was out of character for the man, citing his clean record.

"He's remorseful about what happened and he tells me it will never happen again," said Bock.

In addition to the fine, Gorin gave the offender the mandatory minimum 12-month driving prohibition.

Minimum fine for intoxicated mom

A single mother of three was given the Criminal Code's mandatory minimum punishment for drinking and driving in territorial court on Tuesday.

She pleaded guilty, and received a $1,000 fine as well as a 12-month driving prohibition.

The 35-year-old woman has no prior criminal record and her blood alcohol level of .15 grams per 100 millilitres of blood was not considered "aggravating" under the law, according to Judge Robert Gorin.

After being tipped off that there was an intoxicated driver in the area, RCMP found the woman sitting in her vehicle in the parking lot of Hilltop Apartments on Sept. 4 at 4:23 a.m.

When they spoke to her they observed her eyes to be glossy and her breath smelled of alcohol. She also had trouble locating her registration and insurance documents.

"Her movements were slow and delayed," said Crown prosecutor Mathieu St. Germain.

Her lawyer, Glen Rutland, said she had tried every option before driving, but she had no phone and no money to get a ride home. He said this has been an eye-opening experience for her, and she no longer drinks as much.

"This incident has changed her," said Rutland.

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