No jail time in McKenzie crash

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/08/2015 (3180 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Steinbach man will not see jail time after pleading guilty to an impaired driving charge last Thursday.

Justice Kehler, 24, was driving both drunk and at a high speed when he crashed his mother’s Chevrolet Impala into a light standard on McKenzie Avenue on Nov. 13, 2014.

Crown attorney Jeff Nichols said Steinbach RCMP responded to a call at approximately 11 p.m. that resulted in them hearing the sound of screeching tires and a loud impact as a vehicle hit a light standard on McKenzie.

Nichols said the RCMP noted that Kehler was disoriented, had blood on him and admitted to drinking prior to the crash. There was also evidence of marijuana in his system and he did not have a valid license.

Though the crash caused significant damage to both the car and the light standard, no one was injured.

“I’m just very glad that no one was hurt and that I’m allowed to have a second chance,” said Kehler.

Defense lawyer Alan Libman said as a result of the accident, this has been a wakeup call for Kehler, who admits he has a problem with alcohol. He has since moved in with his “Christian Mennonite grandparents” who don’t tolerate the consumption of alcohol.

“He goes to work, comes home, has supper with his grandparents, helps them with some yard work, watches a little TV and goes to bed,” said Libman. “What he notices the big difference is he doesn’t come home from work, reach into the fridge and grab a beer. Because one beer is too many and a hundred beers is not enough.”

Judge Ray Wyant ordered Kehler to pay a fine of $1,400 as well as pay a stand-alone restitution order to MPI of over $9,000 for the vehicle and light standard damages.

Kehler had no previous criminal record.