A man who took a wild ride in a stolen SUV and ended up in the Partici-park in Riverside, was sentenced in provincial court last Friday.
Carmen Briault appeared in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, September 27. He pleaded guilty to a number of charges including an early afternoon traffic incident that saw two vehicles destroyed on Riverside Drive.
A man who was driving a stolen SUV when it collided with a parked car and then lost control on Riverside Drive received a global sentence for this and two other previous charges.
On September 4 at about 5 p.m., an SUV was taken from the DVSS parking lot. A few moments later, Briault, who was driving the truck, collided head on with a parked vehicle on Riverside Drive. Witness accounts say the vehicle fled the scene of the collision and continued along Riverside. It lost control near 12th Street and ended up in the Partici-park.
He was taken from the scene by ambulance and showed signs of impairment. He pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while impaired and theft of a motor vehicle.
Briault also pleaded guilty to assault from a previous incident on August 15. In the early morning hours, he approached a man outside a business, pushed him to the ground and walked off. There were no injuries.
He also pleaded guilty to an impaired driving charge from the early hours of August 25. RCMP observed the driver make a wide turn entering Highway 9 and then swerve as it travelled down the road.
The court heard that Briault has longterm substance abuse issues and his impairment in one of these instances was related to the use of a prescription drug with alcohol.
The crown and defense agreed on a joint submission of one year in jail, followed by a two year driving prohibition. Briault was given credit for 24 days in custody he served awaiting last Friday’s appearance.
