Woodstock’s former mayor pleaded guilty Tuesday to having more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his blood following a crash in 2023 in Oxford County.
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Trevor Birtch pleaded guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice in Woodstock to driving with a blood-alcohol content exceeding 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood, while charges of impaired driving and dangerous driving were dropped in a joint submission by the Crown and defence.
The former mayor was handed a 90-day conditional sentence, 12 months of probation and a 12-month driving ban.
Birtch was charged following a crash involving a white sedan and green SUV at 31st Line and Road 74, a rural intersection in Zorra Township west of Woodstock, an Oct. 30, 2023, around 6:20 p.m., assistant Crown attorney Artem Orlov said while reading an agreed statement of facts.
Police found the green SUV in the “northeast ditch of the intersection on its roof” and the white sedan with damage to the driver side door and heavy front-end damage blocking the westbound lane of the intersection, the Crown said. Both vehicles’ airbags were deployed and the driver of the SUV had “general soreness and minor injuries,” he said.
The officer at the scene noticed keys left in the ignition of the sedan and the smell of beer in the vehicle, Orlov said. Police searched the vehicle and found “suspected beer” in a mug in the cupholder, and what police suspected was beer splattered in the vehicle’s interior, Orlov said.
The officer was approached by a “male who was covered in mud and dirt,” with eyes that appeared bloodshot and with slurred speech, who was identified as Birtch by his driver’s licence, Orlov told the court.
The 49-year-old former mayor was arrested. Two breath sample were taken at the police detachment. Birtch’s first breath sample, at 7:30 p.m., showed 174 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, while a second one about 25 minutes later was 175 milligrams, Orlov said.
The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliletres.
Birtch addressed the court when given an opportunity by Justice Christopher Uwagboe.
The former mayor’s statement was difficult to hear in the Woodstock courtroom, but what could be deciphered was, “I regret this.”
Mitigating factors in Birtch’s sentence included his guilty plea and a lack of criminal record, while aggravating factors included the seriousness of the collision, high blood alcohol content and an open alcohol container.
Tuesday’s sentence of driving with an illegal blood alcohol level is the latest legal trouble for Woodstock’s former mayor.
Birtch was convicted last month of sexual assault. A sentencing hearing is set for May 5 at London’s courthouse.
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