Preparing to go to jail for an impaired driving conviction and several other charges, an Estevan man refused the Impaired Driver Treatment Program.
Christopher Brown pleaded guilty to his second impaired driving offence as well as three driving while disqualified charges and an obstruction of justice charge.
With a second impaired driving conviction comes a mandatory jail sentence of at least 30 days. Many offenders are eligible for the treatment program, where they serve their sentence in rehabilitation rather than in a jail cell.
Brown was facing more than the minimum term in jail because of his subsequent charges, but in Estevan provincial court on Monday, Judge Karl Bazin still gave him the option of serving some of his sentence in treatment. Brown said he preferred to serve all of his time in jail, though Bazin warned that if he went to treatment, he may be treated more leniently by the justice system were he to be convicted of another impaired charge.
Bazin said that with Brown's penchant for driving while disqualified, he could be looking at years in a federal penitentiary rather than months in jail if he were ever convicted again.
Brown still requested to serve all of his time in jail.
The Crown and Brown's Legal Aid counsel presented a joint submission for Bazin's consideration. The Crown requested 90 days in jail, 30 days for the impaired and another 20 days for each driving while disqualified charge. Those will run consecutively while a 20-day jail term for the obstruction charge will run concurrently.
The sentence also came with a four-year driving prohibition.
The Crown said that almost every week following Brown's most recent driving while impaired charge, he was arrested and charged with driving while disqualified.
"Although he doesn't have a lengthy record, he certainly has some difficulty heeding court orders," said Crown prosecutor Derek Maher.
Bazin took a break to consider the joint submission before accepting the terms and sentencing Brown to 90 days incarceration and a four-year driving prohibition.
In other court proceedings, a show-cause hearing was held for Daniel Lowenberg, who was in custody for a number of breaches of his release conditions. Lowenberg is in the middle of a series of trials relating to charges of possessing drugs for the purposes of trafficking.
Lowenberg was released following the hearing but as part of his conditions, he will be subject to electronic monitoring. He will next appear on July 15.
Also in custody was Brent Littlechief who is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference. He was remanded in custody and his matter was set for a show-cause hearing on June 24.
