A man with more than four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system was found passed out in the driver’s seat of a running vehicle, but claimed that he wasn’t driving, Durham police say.
Durham regional police said the incident happened on Feb. 24 at around 10:50 p.m., when an officer on patrol in Ajax saw a vehicle stopped on a roadway with its engine still running.
The vehicle was reportedly damaged and had multiple flat tires.
The officer approached the vehicle and saw the driver slumped over, police said.
“Officers checked the driver, who was breathing but unconscious, and found numerous signs indicating impairment,” police said.
Officers were able to wake the driver up “after multiple attempts.”
“The driver repeatedly told police that he had not been driving the vehicle, after they removed him from the driver’s seat,” police said.
The man was taken into custody.
Police allege he completed three breath tests, with results of 300 milligrams, 330 mg, and 350 mg of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
Officers noted that the legal driving limit for alcohol consumption is 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood.
A 39-year-old Pickering resident has been charged with impaired driving-related offences, driving while under suspension, and failing to comply with a probation order.
He had his licence suspended for 90 days and vehicle impounded for seven days.
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