Minutes after they spotted a local man drive through a four-way stop in the early morning hours of Feb. 10, city police found him slumped forward in the driver's seat with an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
It was shortly after 4 a.m. when Jordie Belleau failed to stop at the intersection of Bennett Boulevard and Boundary Road, and then twice swerved into the oncoming lane as he continued along Chambers Avenue.
"You got me," the 36-year-old told the cops when they spoke to him. "I'm DUI."
On Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to over 80 in a Sault Ste. Marie courtroom.
Ontario Court Justice Romuald Kwolek heard his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.
Belleau recorded breathalyzer readings of 191 and 196 milligrams of alcohol in a 100 millilitres of blood.
Prosecutor Adrianna Mucciarelli called for a $2,500 fine — the mandatory minimum monetary penalty for a first conviction is $2,000 — plus 12 months probation.
He also should be prohibited from getting behind the wheel for a year, she told the court.
The judge cited Belleau's readings and driving as aggravating factors that presented a risk as he drove along "pretty major roadways" in a residential area "even if it was at 4 a.m."
He pleaded guilty not long after he was charged and has no prior record, Kwolek also noted.
After hearing Belleau is currently unemployed, he opted to impose the mandatory minimum $2,000 fine and gave him two years to pay it.
As well, Belleau is banned from driving for a year.
Kwolek ordered him to take any recommended counselling for substance abuse during his probation.
Belleau, a resident of Garden River First Nation, told the judge he had been sober for the last 10 years.
"Perhaps counselling will help you get back on the straight and narrow," Kwolek suggested.