Impaired driver guilty of causing head-on crash handed lowest possible jail sentence

A Barrie man will spend a year behind bars after pleading guilty to driving while high and crashing head-on into another vehicle in 2022.

Dennis Stiles was sentenced on Tuesday on a charge of impaired driving causing bodily harm for the collision on Highway 26 near Strongville Road between Clearview and Springwater Townships 2.5 years ago.

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The court heard that Stiles was driving with a G2 licence at the time of the crash and weaving into oncoming traffic.

The other driver suffered life-altering injuries, while Stiles wasn't seriously hurt despite his vehicle erupting into flames.

The Crown had argued for Stiles to spend 18 months behind bars, followed by probation and a five-year driving ban. The defence countered with a conditional sentence under house arrest and a two-year driving prohibition.

"It is heartbreaking to think of how bad this could have turned out," said Justice Raymond Williams. "In my view, a conditional sentence would send the wrong message to the community, the wrong message to Mr. Stiles, and the wrong message to would-be impaired drivers."

Williams told Stiles he found his moral blameworthiness to be "exceedingly high" and the conditional sentence sought by the defence was not appropriate in this case. The judge explained the case was a "raw reminder of how crime can devastate a life."

In a Barrie courtroom, the judge ultimately decided Stiles would spend one year in jail, noting it was the lowest possible sentence appropriate for the circumstances.

Under the criminal code, the maximum sentence is two years less a day.

Stiles' lawyer, Matthew Giesinger, conceded during the sentencing hearing last month in Bradford it was a miracle no one was killed in the crash.

"It's not easy to sentence someone to a year in jail, especially for someone who does not have a criminal record and who has pleaded guilty," said Williams. "I thought long and hard about this."

The judge also handed Stiles an 18-month probation and a three-year driving ban following his time in custody.

"I wish you the best of luck," he concluded.