Lambton provincial police were at a collision in Petrolia when a gray 2006 Dodge Charger sped towards them.
Officers had a quick chat with Joseph Cleaver on Sept. 23 about slowing down before letting him through the crash site. But as the 25-year-old Petrolia resident drove away that Friday, police learned his driver’s license had been suspended three weeks earlier for an unpaid fine, so they went after him.
Cleaver, though, sped up as he turned into a subdivision, taking a few sharp corners before finally stopping again for the officers and having a more in-depth conversation.
“Police learned that Mr. Cleaver was a designated driver driving home from a local bar known as Helen’s Hideaway,” assistant Crown attorney Mikesh Mistry said while reading an agreed statement of facts.
Despite Cleaver’s claim of being a designated driver, police noticed his eyes were bloodshot and glossy, his speech was slurred and he smelled like alcohol. He finally admitted he had a few drinks several hours earlier and, after dropping his wallet and swaying back and forth while walking to the cruiser, failed a roadside breath test.
Cleaver was arrested and taken to nearby headquarters, where tests showed he had 202 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood, about two-and-a-half times the legal limit.
“You’re fortunate because at 200, that’s pretty high,” Justice George Orsini said to Cleaver. “You’ve got to be putting them back to get to 200.”
Cleaver, who represented himself in court after pleading guilty to one charge related to impaired driving, told the judge he was going through a hard time that week.
“So I went out golfing that day, went to the bar, had a few – obviously – got pulled over in front of my driveway and all this happened,” he said. “I hit a low spot.”
But, he added, he’s since gotten help to address his personal issues. Orsini called that move very positive and also gave him credit for not having any other criminal convictions on his record. He agreed to impose a $2,000 fine, as suggested by Mistry, along with a $600 surcharge and a one-year driving ban.
A second ugly font charge at the time was withdrawn.
“Good luck,” Orsini said.
“Thank you,” Cleaver replied.