The blood alcohol level of Woodstock, Ont.’s former mayor was more than twice the legal limit and he was lucky no one was killed when his car smashed into a Jeep near Ingersoll in 2023, court heard on Tuesday.Â
Trevor Birtch, 49, pleaded guilty to impaired driving and was given three months of house arrest, to be followed by 12 months of probation and community service. He is also banned from driving for a year.Â
“We’re fortunate that you have your life and that the other driver does as well,” Ontario Court Justice Chris Uwagboe told Birtch. “Impaired driving is a scourge in this community, something I see with regularity here.”Â
Court heard that on Oct. 30, 2023, Oxford OPP were called for a car crash with someone possibly trapped in a vehicle. They found a green Jeep on its roof in a ditch, airbags deployed.Â
Nearby, a Chrysler 200 was blocking the road. The key was in the ignition and the interior smelled like beer. Birtch came up to the police officer, who responded covered in dirt and mud, slurring so much that he couldn’t say his own name. His eyes were bloodshot and the officer smelled beer on his breath, court heard.Â
‘I regret this incident’
There was a glass of beer in the cup holder and beer splattered throughout the Chrysler 200, court heard. Birtch was arrested and eventually, his blood alcohol was taken and found to be 175 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, more than double the legal limit.Â
“I regret this incident, your honour,” Birtch said. “It’s highly abnormal for me. I ask for your help in this matter.”Â
Birtch will have to do community service and attend alcohol and drug addiction counselling.Â
Last month, Birtch was found guilty of sexual assault and was called an “obvious liar” after a trial in London. He will be back in court for a pre-sentencing report in May.Â
In a third case, he was found guilty of assault and sexual assault, but the judge declared a mistrial because the Crown failed to disclose all relevant evidence before the trial.Â
