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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-02-22, Page 10THE NEW ONTARIO PHOTO HEALTH CARD HAVE YOU MOVED SINCE 1990? DID YOU GIVE OHIP YOUR NEW ADDRESS? The new Ontario photo Health Card is coming. Before you can get your new card, the Ministry of Health must have your current address so a notice to register can 1)e ,./../.p' (1_3(/'------------7",7,7„....,,,,,:,_,,,,,,7) sent to you. If you've moved since you got your red and white Health Card, and haven't told OHIP, look for Your Guide to Ontario's Photo Health Card in your mail. You'll find a change of address form inside. Fill it out, and mail it to the Ministry of Health, Then, we'll let you know when it's your turn to register. And you can put your smile to work to help prevent $65 million in health care fraud each year. • 248 a;..,.::::7041x"s 7 x:..03.22 MA 03 21N •0¢, • , . ig,35 • 12. 104 st SMILE ONTARIO. 10 Ontario PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1995. Man loses day in court, pays $1,000 fine Despite some legal wrangling on the part of defense counsel, a Blyth man lost his day in court last Wednesday. Michael Cronyn pled not guilty to impaired driving when he appeared before Judge R.G.E. Hunter in Wingham's provincial court. Though eye witnesses sug- gested Mr. Cronyn appeared to have been drinking prior to a car accident on July 15, defense coun- sel argued that the evidence was not strong enough to prove his client was impaired. The crown's first witness, Melba Sams of Goderich, testified that she and het husband were travelling east from the Hwy 4 and Hwy 86 intersection when she noticed a car, which she said was travelling "very fast". As that car crossed the dirt road entering onto Diagonal Rd in Wingham, it began fishtailing then went over the embankment, Mrs. Sams said. The driver attempted to drive the car out of the ditch before it even- tually got stuck. He then opened the door, and "sort of fell out", Mrs. Sams said. She testified that she had commented to her husband "that the man appeared to be intoxi- cated." While Mr. Sams stayed at the scene, Mrs. Sams went to get the police. When she returned the driv- er of the vehicle was gone. Hse, returned in another vehicle shortly after. Upon cross examination, Mrs. Sams admitted that she had never spoken to the accused at any time. When asked if-she thought there would have been a considerable impact on the car and driver when hitting the ditch she responded affirmatively. The second witness was James Stinson of RR1, Clarksburg.Relat- ed by marriage to the accused, Mr. Stinson said that the family had all been together that day for family photos. When he and his wife and brother-in-law stopped at the acci- dent, Mr. Cronyn told them he had slid through the stop sign into the ditch and asked them to give him a ride so he could call a tow truck. When they returned, Mr. Stinson said the police were there. When Crown Attorney Bob Mor- ris asked Mr. Stinson if he had noticed anything about Mr. Cronyn earlier that day, Mr. Stinson took some time before saying that "Mike" had "appeared to be under the influence". Prior to the accident the family Man gets 14 days A second drunk driving offense in less than five years resulted in a 14 day jail term, to be served on weekends, and -a two year driving prohibition for a 53-year-old Turn- berry Twp. man. Vince McInnes pled guilty to a charge of over 80 when he appeared in Wingham's provincial court on Wednesday. The charge was laid Nov. 29 after Mr. McInnes lost control of his pickup truck on Conc. 10, which slid into a ditch then rolled. After police arrived they noticed signs of impairment. Mr. McInnes was taken to Wingham hospital then later submitted a breath sam- ple. Readings were 200 and 210. Crown Attorney Robert Morris said there was an earlier charge of over 80 from May 23, 1990. Defense counsel Alan Mill told Judge R.G.E. Hunter that Mr. McInnes is a trustee with the sepa- rate school board which requires him to attend as many as three or four meetings a week. For this rea- son he asked consideration be given to having any jail term be served on weekends. had supper together, at which time, Mr. Cronyn seemed to be improv- ing, Mr. Stinson said. "He appeared to be sobering up." When ques- tioned by defense, he testified that he would have had no problem with letting Mr. Cronyn drive his family home. Judge Hunter asked him to clari- fy what about Mr. Cronyn's behaviour made him appear intoxi- cated. Mr. Stinson replied that he was more talkative and his eyes were a little glassy. "What changed after he had din- ner?" Judge Hunter asked. "He appeared sober, I suppose," said Mr. Stinson. "You suppose," Judge Hunter said. Const. Kevin Walker, the arrest- ing officer, testified that when he first saw the accused he noticed a "strong odour of alcohol". His cheeks were flushed and his eyes glassy, though there were no other noticeable signs of impairment, he said. Defense counsel argued that the odour of alcohol does not deter- mine the amount of consumption. Though he said there was no ques- tion his client was guilty of bad driving he didn't believe the evi- dence was strong enough to support a charge of impaired. When he noted that Mr. Stinson had said Mr. Cronyn's condition was improving, Judge Hunter said he had reservations about the sec- ond witness. "It was like pulling teeth to get him to testify," he said. Defense countered that a slight indication of impairment does not necessarily mean a person is slight- ly impaired. There was, he said, no evidence of his client failing co- ordination tests, of his staggering, fumbling, or swaying. An opinion, he said, had been formed on the evidence of a witness, the odour of alcohol and the poor driving. "I agree there is strong suspicion of impairment, but in my opinion the evidence has to go beyond that, beyond the possibility." Judge Hunter disagreed however. "I have an officer who testified that he thought the driver was impaired and I haven't the slightest doubt he arrived at the right conclusion." Mr. Cronyn's license was sus- pended for 12 months and he was fined $1,000.