A veteran provincial police officer charged with driving drunk on the job earlier this year in Midland, Ont., has taken a plea deal. Suspended with pay since January, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer Christopher Prout has pleaded guilty to driving with more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system while on duty in a police cruiser with a gun on his hip. The court heard, as part of an Agreed Statement of Facts read by the Crown, Prout had been drinking at home and drove to work in his police cruiser for a performance review at the Southern Georgian Bay OPP detachment, when officers in the meeting room smelled alcohol on him. Prout failed a breath test and provided two samples that produced readings of nearly 260 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood. The defence noted Prout did not show signs of impairment, saying he was shocked by the readings, and that he felt “essentially sober” that day. His lawyer told the court Prout, 40, who has been a police officer in Midland for 17 years, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance-use disorder. According to the defence, his PTSD was the result of years of dedicated service while experiencing trauma as a police officer. The defence noted Prout hit “rock bottom” while dealing with mental health struggles and a family history of alcoholism as issues in his personal life affected his performance at work. The defence said Prout had not sought help for his issues before being charged Jan. 15 and has since taken accountability through counselling and two months at the Homewood medically supervised addiction treatment centre as he continues to receive outpatient care and counselling while maintaining his sobriety. Prout addressed the court, saying he was embarrassed and that he hurt his platoon and hates and regrets what he did. He vowed “it will never happen again.” “Alcohol is not an issue anymore,” Prout told the court, adding he is working hard to move forward. Following a joint submission by the defence and a Crown attorney brought in from Newmarket to handle the case, the judge handed Prout a $3,000 fine and two-year driving ban. Justice Edward Prutschi told Prout it was sheer dumb luck and divine intervention that his actions didn’t result in a crash that killed himself or others out on the road. The OPP did not provide a response to Prout’s guilty plea. Along with being placed on probation for two years, Prout could now face further discipline under the Police Services Act.
