A jealous young man who drove "like a maniac" in an incident of road rage when he found a former girlfriend in the presence of another man was given a hefty fine and had his driver's license suspended for one year.
Richard Beaupart St. Denis, 23, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving Wednesday at the Sudbury courthouse.
Assistant Crown attorney Andrew Slater said when the accused saw a young woman he liked in a vehicle with another man on a downtown street, he followed that vehicle, drove too fast on numerous occasions "drove like a maniac" the evening of June 11, 2006.
The truck being driven by Beaupart St. Denis eventually struck a pole with such force, the pole became embedded in the front grill of the truck and was still embedded when police pulled him over, said Slater.
Two breathalyser tests indicated Beaupart St. Denis had just over the legal amount of alcohol allowed in Canada to drive a motor vehicle, but the Crown was satisfied to proceed with this matter as long as the accused pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, said Slater.
Defence counsel Charles Bourgeois and Slater made a joint recommendation of a $1,200 fine, one-year driving prohibition and period of probation, where the accused is to seek any counseling as recommended by his probation officer.
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