A Calgary man who took police on a wild ride through Sylvan Lake and then west of Eckville will do time in a federal penitentiary and lose driving privileges for three years.
Jeffrey Todd Sharratt, 24, pleaded guilty in Red Deer provincial court on Wednesday to charges stemming from a pursuit that started on 45th Street in Sylvan Lake at 3:10 a.m. on Jan. 17.
An RCMP officer had pulled a 2005 Pontiac Sunfire over and taken the driver into the police car to conduct an impaired driving investigation when Sharratt, the lone passenger in the Sunfire, suddenly sped away, said Crown prosecutor Murray McPherson.
Police pursued the car through town, watching as it left the road and crossed a boulevard, taking damage to its front end, said McPherson.
Sparks were flying from the front right wheel as the car sped south on 50th Street to Hwy 11 and then headed west in the eastbound lane, reaching speeds of 140 kilometres per hour.
Police were able to get a spike belt in front of the car during the 30-km pursuit.
The left front tire blew after the car hit the belt, but Sharratt continued down the highway with sparks flying from both front wheels.
The car came to a stop near Range Road 42, west of Eckville. Sharratt locked the door to keep police out of the car and when they got the door open, he clung to the steering wheel in an attempt to keep them from removing him from the vehicle, said McPherson.
His “belligerent” behaviour continued back at the detachment where, at one point, he formed his hand to the shape of a pistol, pointed it at one of the police officers and said, “Pow.”
McPherson and defence counsel Daniel Wilson, who stood in for Sharratt’s lawyer, Will Willms, presented a joint submission asking for a prison term of two years plus a day to ensure that Sharratt would be placed in a federal institution and that there should be no credit for the time he has spent in custody since his arrest.
Sharratt wants to serve in the federal system, preferrably close to home, so he could take part in the programs available there, including help with his alcohol problem, said Wilson.
Charges include vehicle theft, dangerous driving, driving while prohibited, refusing to provide a breath sample, flight from police, obstructing police and uttering a threat.
In passing sentence, Judge Jim Hunter said that, from reading Sharratt’s record, it appears that most of his adult life has been “fuelled by alcohol” and that he should feel thankful that he hadn’t killed someone during his flight down Hwy 11.
Sharratt had already lost his driver’s licence for one year following a similar event last May, in which he was convicted of dangerous driving and flight from police.
Hunter ordered a sentence of two years plus one day, starting on Wednesday and a three-year driving prohibition to start upon his release and once he has completed the earlier driving prohibition.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com