A city woman who planned to kill herself, but instead went on a driving rampage hitting cars, a garage and a house before ramming a police cruiser, is off to jail.
Donna Marie Teers, 42, was yesterday handed an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to charges of criminal flight from police, assault with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer, impaired driving and hit-and-run.
The road menace, who admitted she was driving without a valid driver's licence or insurance, was also banned from operating a motor vehicle for two years, ordered to submit a DNA sample for the national DNA databank and prohibited from possessing weapons for 10 years.
As well, Teers was fined $2,730 and hit with a compensation order of $3,738 to cover the damage to the cop car.
"She engaged in conduct that caused damage to cars and a house and endangered not only the population of the city, but the lives of more than one police officer," said provincial court Judge Fred Day.
The judge said Teers's guilty plea and her "intensely sad circumstances" were mitigating factors and he gave her eight months' credit for the four months she spent in pre-trial custody, leaving her with 10 months left to serve.
Crown prosecutor Dennis Chronopoulos told court Teers was driving erratically in a 1991 Chrysler Dynasty near 96 Street and 109A Avenue about 11:50 p.m. on July 29 and witnesses said she hit a garage, two parked cars and a house before getting stuck against the home.
Police were called and the two officers who responded were pointed toward the extensively damaged car.
The pair found Teers sitting in the front seat in a semi-reclined position with the doors locked.
ACCELERATED
She was told to get out of the car, but instead, she accelerated the vehicle and rammed the driver's side door (of the police car) just as the officer was exiting, forcing him to rapidly jump back in.
The second officer smashed Teers's car window with his baton and told her to shut off the engine. However, as he was leaning in to grab the keys, she accelerated again and rammed the cruiser a second time before driving off.
Teers hit another vehicle while going west on 109 Avenue towards 97 Street and the officers decided to run her off the road rather than letting her get to heavier traffic.
Teers was "extremely belligerent and aggressive" with the officers and swore at them while being arrested.
She was then taken to hospital where blood samples were taken, revealing she had a blood-alcohol level of .199.
Defence lawyer John Sinclair said Teers, a widow who is bipolar and has three adult sons, one of whom is disabled has no memory of the incident. "She did not intend to drive that night," said Sinclair. "She had laid down with a bottle of vodka and a bottle of pills and had planned to exit this world."
TONY.BLAIS@SUNMEDIA.CA
