Dangerous driving patterns and excessive speeds put the public in danger.
Honourable Judge Kathleen Williams weighed this factor when debating Travis J. Gordon's sentence. The 26-year-old repeat offender appeared in the Bonnyville Provincial Courthouse on Tuesday from the Edmonton Remand Centre via CCTV for sentencing after pleading guilty in September.
Gordon was convicted of flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and driving while disqualified. Williams sentenced him to 330 days in jail and a two-year driving prohibition as a result of his actions.
On July 15, Bonnyville RCMP were conducting surveillance when an officer witnessed what he believed to be a drug transaction taking place between two vehicles.
Police ran the license plate of the car being operated by Gordon, and discovered it didn't belong to the vehicle.
A uniformed officer attended the scene and located the vehicle, which was driving on the wrong side of the road in an erratic and dangerous manner, forcing oncoming vehicles to drive into the ditch to avoid a collision. Police believed the driver was intoxicated by either drugs or alcohol and initiated a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed.
According to Crown prosecutor Renato Di Lorenzo, at times, Gordon's vehicle reached speeds of 170-kilometres per hour.
The responding officer terminated the pursuit, but police continued to monitor the vehicle. RCMP found the car abandoned. The 32-year-old female passenger was arrested without incident nearby.
Gordon had fled the scene on-foot and was located with the assistance of St. Paul Police Dog Services (PDS).
Gordon pleaded guilty during his Sept. 3 court appearance, and adjourned his matters for the completion of a pre-sentence report.
Di Lorenzo informed the court the Crown was seeking a one-year jail sentence and a driving prohibition, noting the excessive speeds and danger Gordon put the public in by fleeing from police.
Williams agreed, adding in most high-speed chases it's the general public who are injured, not the suspects or pursuing officers.
"Driving is a privilege, not a right," Di Lorenzo expressed.
The pre-sentence report outlines Gordon's lack of family support, and includes a copy of his "very related" criminal record.
Di Lorenzo explained his concern that Gordon doesn't have the proper support system in place in order to remain on the "straight and narrow" as he had been before this incident took place.
According to Gordon's counsel, Stephanie Oleksyn, prior to this pursuit the accused had been doing better than previous years, noting that this offence was, although still illegal, not the worst Gordon has committed to-date.
For example, Oleksyn stressed, the vehicle Gordon was in during the high-speed chase wasn't stolen, which had often been the case in prior offences. She also stated an assault hadn't taken place, and drugs were nowhere to be found.
Gordon told the court he had been sober for almost a year, and agreed with Oleksyn's remarks that this wasn't as serious as former incidences.
"I know that I'm a repeat offender... I did run, and I did make a mistake... I feel that I've done better for myself, I did manage to stay away from drugs," exclaimed Gordon.
While the Crown was seeking one-year behind bars, defence was aiming for a lesser sentence of nine months.
Williams split the difference and sentenced Gordon to 11 months in jail, describing flight from police as "an incredibly serious" offence.
As of his court appearance, Gordon had been in custody for 140 pre-trial days. He had 190 days left to serve.
