By Charlene Tebbutt

Witnesses testify in P.A. police officer DUI trial

Apr 27, 2018 | 6:06 PM

Day two of the impaired driving trial involving a local police officer wrapped up at Prince Albert Provincial Court Friday.  

Brett Lee Henry is on trial, charged with one count of impaired driving in relation to alleged incident in March of 2017. Henry, 36, has pleaded not guilty to the single count.

On Friday, court heard from several witnesses who interacted with Henry at two bars in the city on the night of the alleged incident. Two restaurant servers testified Friday that they served Henry drinks starting the night of March 2, 2017.

Clayton Mullis worked at the Rock and Iron Sports Bar at the time, and said he served Henry and a group of about 25 local police officers during a going-away party at the bar. Mullis testified he served Henry at least four 32-ounce schooners of Rickards Red beer and a burger over the course of the evening, and that Henry became a bit obnoxious as the night went on. Mullis said Henry wanted to continue the party at a different location, but nobody else seemed interested.

Mullis said Henry’s demeanor changed by the time he got up to leave the Rock and Iron just before 11 p.m., and said four schooners of beer amounted to about 10 bottles. Mullis said there were designated drivers at the table and it was his impression that everyone had a ride home that evening.

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“I guess you could say he was under the influence,” Mullis testified. “I know that 10 beers makes you over the legal limit.”

Henry’s defence lawyer Michael Owens questioned witnesses throughout the day about whether simply consuming alcohol equates to how drunk a person might become, as different people can tolerate different amounts of alcohol. He also questioned witnesses about whether anybody at the table was drinking pop or water, or whether pop or water was ever served to the table.

Briianne Larson testified that she was working as a server at Original Joe’s the night of the alleged incident in March 2017. She testified Henry came into the restaurant with three other people and stayed for several hours, although he was alone by the end of the evening.

Larson said she served Henry’s table throughout the evening, including seven Old Fashioneds, which contain two ounces of alcohol in each drink. Larson said Henry became giddy, made silly comments and was slurring his words by the end of the evening. She said he looked at his phone with one eye open, and knocked a glass off the table as he got up to leave.

“I asked him if he had a ride home and he made a joke about having a police car,” Larson testified.

Larson said Henry later asked her to call a cab, but testified that she later saw Henry sitting in the driver’s seat of a car in front of the restaurant. She said she went back into the kitchen while a co-worker went out the parking lot, but called police when she realized the car was gone.

“He was not good to drive that night,” Larson testified.

Kamandeep Singh was also working at Original Joe’s the night of March 2, 2017 and into the early morning. Singh was mixing drinks at the bar and testified in court Friday that he served a number of two-ounce drinks to a table that night. Singh testified that he did go out to the parking lot to talk to a man in a “black-ish car” who appeared to be intoxicated, but could not say for sure whether that person was Henry. Singh said the length of time that has passed since the alleged incident last year has made it difficult to remember some of the details.  

Henry’s trial on the impaired driving charge is scheduled to resume next Friday, May 4 in provincial court. Henry has been on paid administrative leave with the Prince Albert Police Service since the charge was laid last July.

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt

EDITOR’S NOTE: Commenting on this story is closed now that the matter is before court.