A southwest man will be paying off more than $4,800 in fines and spend the next year and a half on probation after pleading guilty to a pair of charges garnered from two separate incidents in 2024.
54-year-old Patrick Estabrooks was sentenced on Wednesday in Swift Current Provincial Court on two of three counts; one count of theft under $5,000 and one count of operating a motor vehicle while impaired.
With the approval of a joint submission, he was handed a suspended sentence including 18 months of probation, a year-long driving prohibition, and fines totalling $4,877.25.
The accused is also required to follow a series of conditions;
Complete assessments and programming for addictions,
Participate in anger management courses,
Is not to have contact with his former employer,
Is not to be within 50 metres of his former employer or his residence,
Is not to possess or consume any alcohol or drugs,
Is not to possess any identification or bank cards that are not in his name,
Report to a probation officer within two working days,
Pay the victim surcharges within the next six months, and
Pay a minimum of $200 towards his fines each month.
"You're not alone in finding trouble through alcohol or drug addiction," said Judge Jacobson during the sentencing. "I'm glad to see that you've been able to negotiate a sentence that is rehabilitative in some nature."
On August 25, 2024, Estabrooks used his employer's charge account without permission at gas stations in Swift Current to purchase fuel, alcohol, and more, totalling over $3,000 stolen.
The second incident occurred on December 12 when the Swift Current area resident was found driving a black Ford F150 that was half in a ditch several kilometres west of Swift Current.
Police transported him to the City Detachment, where he was administered a breath test, he was recorded to have a blood alcohol concentration of 150-160 milligrams or 0.15-0.16 BAC. Additionally, the F150 was found to have been unregistered since August of 2023.
"I regret my decisions and just want to carry on and do better," shared Estabrooks through a statement from the defence council in court.
A third charge, impaired operation of a vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration over 80 milligrams, was stayed.