A Fort Ware man who rolled his sport utility vehicle during an "alcohol-fueled joyride" along the First Nation village's airstrip has been sentenced to 86 days in jail and prohibited from driving for 2 1/2 years for impaired driving causing bodily harm.
Shawn McCook, 30, was issued the term Friday in B.C. Supreme Court in Prince George.
In November, McCook was found guilty of the offence in relation to a June 28, 2014 incident.
He was behind the wheel of his 1985 Ford Bronco during the early morning hours when he either swerved to get onto a nearby road or tried to "drift" the back tires and ended up rolling the SUV two to four times.
One of McCook's three passengers was ejected and suffered a broken shoulder, while all the passengers inside were briefly knocked unconscious but revived and walked home.
The usual vehicle insurance and licencing systems are not in place within village limits. As a result, McCook's vehicle was uninsured and he's never had a driver's licence.
Other than the windshield, his vehicle was without windows, as well as without seatbelts and the tires were in poor condition. If he had been driving elsewhere in B.C., the vehicle would have been impounded and condemned, the court had heard.
McCook admitted in his statement to police that he had been drinking but the case was taken to trial because there was a dispute about how much he drank and whether it impaired his ability to drive.
In finding him guilty, Justice John Steeves concluded from testimony of the three passengers that McCook did consume enough to hinder his ability to drive.
McCook was also found guilty of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, for which he was sentenced to a concurrent term of 17 days in a jail, and of the two breaches because he was out past his curfew and had been consuming alcohol.
As a result, he was assessed $800 in victim surcharges for the four convictions.
