A Samson Cree Nation woman was sentenced to heavy fines on Friday, Oct. 17 after pleading guilty to driving without a valid license and impersonation.
On Sunday, Aug. 17, RCMP stopped a truck on 53 Avenue and the check on the license plate determined there were warrants out for the registered owner’s arrest.
The driver of the vehicle informed police her name was Gerry Simon. She provided a full legal name, address and told a convincing tale.
Of the two breathalyzer tests, the second one failed, and with no Class 5 license on her person, the woman’s license was suspended and she took a cab home.
Several days later, a woman approached police claiming her license was suspiciously suspended and feared her cousin used her name. RCMP discovered the woman who had been driving the truck was actually Tara Simon, 24.
Simon did not have a valid license when she was pulled over, has a criminal record, and the court speculated she used her cousin’s name to avoid being discovered.
Simon pled guilty on her first appearance in court. “I take full responsibility for my actions and I know what I did was wrong.”
Judge J. Glass gave Simon a $230 fine for driving without a valid license and $500 for the intent to avoid arrest.
Glass also told Simon she is lucky her cousin was not arrested as a result of her actions. “This could have been much, much worse.”
Impaired driver nabbed on Highway 2 sentenced
After speeding while impaired, a Red Deer man has pled guilty and is facing a major fine and unemployment following sentencing.
RCMP stopped Dexter Ruttkay, 25, Wednesday, Sept. 3 after he was clocked travelling approximately 135 km/h northbound on Highway 2.
As a police officer approached the right side of the vehicle it was discovered all four windows were rolled down. Ruttkay appeared to have blood shot eyes and the odor of liquor on his breath.
Ruttkay failed a roadside screening test and was transported to the detachment where a breathalyzer read his blood alcohol levels at 0.12 and 0.10.
Judge J. Glass accepted the early guilty plea as a mitigating circumstance, and considering his aggravated speed, and settled on the minimum $1,000 and one-year driving prohibition, causing the loss of his job.