"I think I learned my lesson this time," said Dustin Daniel Thorne, 23, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Jan. 19 in provincial court in Charlottetown for impaired driving. Thorne represented himself at the court appearance.
Thorne stumbled out of the vehicle and showed other signs of impairment, such as red and glossy eyes, and slurred speech. When asked by police, Thorne said the passenger who ran away was someone he was giving a ride home and he didn't know his name. Thorne's criminal record includes an impaired driving conviction in 2020 and a conviction for driving while prohibited in 2021. For the previous impaired driving offence, Thorne was sentenced to $1,560 in fines and an 18-month driving ban. For breaching that driving ban in 2021, he received 30 days in jail and a one-year driving ban.Chief Judge Jeff Lantz allowed Thorne to serve the 45-day jail sentence on weekends so he could continue to work.