A ruling handed down in a Creighton court-room this month has exonerated a northern man from a charge of impaired driving.
Back on November 30th of last year a cab driver in Creighton spotted a truck driving erratically around 9:00 in the morning.
The truck was originally in the wrong lane, then headed into the ditch before weaving its way into town.
Police were called and Clinton Rempel was arrested.
According to the court judgment he showed obvious signs of impairment but when the officer went to check the man’s blood-alcohol level he found it to be zero.
On closer investigation it was revealed Rempel had taken some new medication, which had recently been prescribed for him by a doctor.
This was in combination with other pain meds he was already on.
Rempel was eventually released into the care of a relative but couldn’t remember what happened.
In her written ruling Judge Felicia Daunt says she found Rempel had taken his medication as prescribed.
She also said it was clear he had no way of foreseeing the effect the sleeping pill would have on him the next morning, in conjunction with the other medication.
Daunt adds Rempel “had no capacity to form a conscious intent to drive” and that his intoxication was not voluntary.
Therefore she found him not guilty.