When cops caught up with an erratic driver causing havoc on an area highway in July, they found he'd been drinking — and had a puppy on his lap.
It was 6:30 p.m.on July 17 when officers with the East Algoma detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police received a 911 call about a possible drunk driver.
The man behind the wheel of the black GMC pickup was unable to maintain its lane and speed and almost drove into a ditch several times, a judge heard last Friday.
A number of times he stopped, did a burnout, and then was reported heading north on Highway 108, prosecutor David Didiodato said.
Officers conducted a traffic stop, and detected an odour of alcohol, he told Ontario Court Justice George Gage.
One of the officers noted a burning smell coming from the brakes, the assistant Crown attorney said.
Shayne Hayner, 29, pleaded guilty to impaired driving.
The Bruce Mines man had a small black dog on his lap when the OPP stopped him.
His motor skills were compromised, his hand was shaking, eyelids were drooping and there was a smell of alcohol coming from the inside of the vehicle, Didiodato said.
Hayner provided roadside breath samples, registered fails, and was arrested.
He was taken to the Blind River detachment, where he refused to do breathalyzer tests.
The Crown and defence lawyer Anthony Orazietti jointly called for an elevated fine of $1,500 and a 12-month driving prohibition.
The minimum monetary penalty is $1,000.
Didiodato cited the nature of the accused's driving while travelling on a major highway at 6:30 p.m. on a summer evening.
Hayner's erratic driving was prolonged and numerous people observed his actions, he told the court.
Orazietti said his client has "a very limited and dated criminal record" — a 2014 conviction for taking a vehicle without consent.
He is employed at Ontario Trap Rock Ltd. and is a contributing member of society.
"I don't expect to see him back in court," the defence told Gage.
Hayner wants to take the Back on Track program (Ontario's remedial measures program for impaired drivers) and that's why there is a plea to the charge, Orazietti said.
He called the proposed sentence reasonable in the circumstance and "the middle ground in respect to the fine."
When he imposed the sentence, Gage said but for the lawyers' joint position "the fine would have been higher given the driving."
Two other related charges, including a count of refusing to provide a breath sample, were withdrawn.
Hayner will be in court in Elliot Lake on Oct. 10 to deal with three domestic violence charges.