Moose Jaw man sentenced for drunk driving in deadly rollover

The man who was impaired at the wheel of a truck that rolled killing a 23-year-old woman from Moose Jaw last February was sentenced Wednesday at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Swift Current.

Adrian McLaren, of Moose Jaw, pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death.

Justice Lana Krogan accepted the joint submission of a two-year, 74-day sentence for McLaren who was 21 at the time of the crash.

Demi McKechnie was pronounced deceased at the scene on Highway 1, about one mile east of Morse. Three of five people in the Ford F-150 were ejected after it went into the south ditch and rolled repeatedly.

A sample taken at the hospital showed McLaren’s blood-alcohol content was 222 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Supporters holding pictures of McKechnie attended court and a number of victim-impact statements provided by her family were read before the sentence.

After pleading guilty, and before being sentenced, McLaren apologized to the family and friends of McKechnie for the “horrible decision” he made, saying it “tears [him] apart.”

“I’m prepared today for whatever sentence I’m given, and will use it as an opportunity to better myself,” he added.

McLaren was out on bail, but allegedly had three breaches for alcohol consumption, which resulted in him being back in custody. In court he said those infractions were a result of him struggling with what happened.

On top of the jail sentence, McLaren received a three-year driving prohibition along with a 10-year firearms prohibition and he has to submit a DNA sample.

Crown Prosecutor Stephen Kritzer said the early guilty plea without running a trial played a factor in the joint submission and sentence.