Drug-impaired driver fined and suspended

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on April 13, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 43-year-old man charged with driving while impaired by drugs has been fined and prohibited from driving for a year.
Blair Allan Beazer pleaded guilty recently in Lethbridge provincial court to one count of impaired driving, and was fined $1,000. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of driving without insurance and was fined $3,000.
Court was told that shortly after 8 p.m. on Jan. 28, 2019 a civilian called police to report an impaired driver. Police found the vehicle stopped in a parking lot, but the engine was still running and Beazer was sitting in the driver’s seat. Beazer, who was obviously impaired, had difficulty responding to police and couldn’t find his driver’s licence because he was so “out of it,” couldn’t focus and continually stared into space. The officer asked Beazer to step out of the vehicle so he could test his co-ordination, but Beazer was unable to.
“He was unco-ordinated, unbalanced, and not able to complete the physical co-ordination tasks,” Crown Prosecutor Adam Zelmer pointed out.
Beazer was arrested, and while searching the vehicle the officer found seven fentanyl pills. There were also two passengers in the vehicle, one of whom was overdosing and had to be treated with Narcan, used to counteract the effects of narcotics.
Beazer, who attended court by telephone, told court he was only sitting in the driver’s seat while he waited for the driver to show up.
“I knew I was too impaired to drive,” he said. “I wasn’t going to drive.”
Lethbridge lawyer Marcus Mueller told court his client has since overcome his substance abuse issues, including cannabis and opioids.
“He’s been clean since his last charges and he intends to stay that way,” Mueller said.

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