Connor Molzan’s charge was reduced Friday to careless driving, but what he did after the Dec. 30, 2020, crash was still up for debate. Defense lawyer Ryan Venables said his client, who had just one drink before crashing around 3:30 am, didn’t flee on foot – he was simply cold.
“He was inappropriately dressed for the weather conditions, so he was jogging to his friend’s house,” he said to a Sarnia judge. “I can understand a witness saying that he was fleeing the scene, but he was certainly not fleeing.
“He was actually going somewhere with purpose.”
Assistant Crown attorney Josie Baier disagreed.
“Just because an individual is familiar with the area and it is cold outside that leaving a scene can still be described as fleeing,” she said.
Despite the disagreement, the lawyers did agree to have Molzan, 24, plead guilty to careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act as opposed to the two Criminal Code charges he was initially facing.
Venables said his client had just the single drink before driving, but had a few more after running to his friend’s home on nearby Old Walnut Road.
The welder was unaware impaired driving laws were overhauled in 2018, Venables said.
“He and I have spoken about that at length,” he said.
The court heard his tests results at the Petrolia police station later that morning showed he had between 100 and 103 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams.
Venables added weather was a significant factor in the crash.
“My client was driving accordingly. He had a drink in his system and unfortunately he did – the vehicle did end up in the ditch,” he said.
Molzan, who had no prior criminal record, declined a chance to address the court. He was fined $1,000 and slapped with a provincial offenses probation order, which will limit his driving privileges for the next year.
But the criminal charges were withdrawn.