A man who provided a false ID to police several times after being found walking intoxicated along Highway 2 has been sentenced to a $500 fine for obstructing a peace officer.
On June 11, 2014 RCMP were dispatched to a suspicious male walking along the highway north of town.
When they arrived, a sheriff was already talking with the man, Abdefati Hassan.
He gave police a name and said he was a wanted man in the United States. The name matched a man wanted in Minnesota. He also gave a second false name.
However, his fingerprints confirmed who he was and told police he is from Edmonton and there were warrants out for his arrest.
By the time Abdefati Hassan was sentenced, he had been in custody for four days. He was given credit for six days and Andreassen decided the time served had fulfilled his obligation to pay the fine.
Impaired driver given high fine
A woman who pled guilty to driving while over the legal limit was sentenced to a one-year driving prohibition and a $1,950 fine in Ponoka provincial court of Friday, May 8, but she has the possibility of working her sentence off.
On March 27, 2015 Ponoka RCMP responded to a complaint of a grey van traveling on Highway 2 and Highway 53, swerving all over the road and hitting ditches on both sides.
En route, the officers were advised motorists concerned with driver Michelle Strawberry’s driving pattern had blocked he van and forced it to stop. They had also taken her keys while waiting for the police to arrive.
When RCMP approached the vehicle they smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the interior.
Strawberry (25) admitted to having a few drinks a few hours before being stopped and RCMP noticed about 10 open cans in the vehicle.
She was taken back to the detachment, where she provided two breath samples: .17 and .18.
“You’re very lucky you weren’t killed, or dealing with a serious offence,” said Judge W. Andreassen.
“You’re not going to be eligible for the driving interlock ignition program,” he added, referring to her probation.
Intoxicated driver admits to drinking
A woman who was approached by Ponoka RCMP after failing to signal told them she would probably fail a roadside test when officers questioned the smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle was sentenced to a $1,300 fine and a one-year driving prohibition.
On April 24, Ponoka RCMP followed a vehicle that had failed to signal when turning into a parking lot downtown.
When RCMP approached the vehicle an odor of alcohol could be smelled. Joy Simon, 49, stepped out of the vehicle and admitted to drinking.
She was taken to the detachment and provided two .12 breath samples.
“I‘d just like to say I’m really sorry for the mistake I made,” Simon told the court.
Simon pled guilty on her first appearance and had the matter pushed forward from the original first appearance date.
Simon has the opportunity to apply for the Ignition Interlock Program three months into her probation.