A 19-year-old Bracebridge man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to two impaired driving offences stemming from separate incidents just weeks apart in May 2025.
Landen Keown appeared in a Bracebridge court where he admitted to two counts of operating a vehicle with more than 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
The first incident occurred shortly after midnight on May 17, 2025. At approximately 12:25 a.m., officers with the Bracebridge Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received three separate complaints about a vehicle being driven at a high rate of speed through Annie Williams Memorial Park. Callers reported passengers yelling at people from the windows while the driver squealed tires, causing damage to park turf.
Police located the vehicle and stopped it nearby. Officers detected an odour of alcohol on the driver, identified as Keown. Following a roadside investigation, he provided breath samples registering 120 milligrams of alcohol.
Less than two weeks later, Keown was again stopped by police.
At about 2:44 a.m. on May 30, 2025, officers responded to a disturbance call and observed a vehicle leaving a residence without licence plates or functioning tail lights. Police conducted a traffic stop and again detected alcohol on the driver’s breath. Keown provided breath samples that registered 140 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
In court, Keown pleaded guilty to both impaired driving charges.
He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a two-year driving prohibition, and 30 days of house arrest.
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There has to be a much more meaningful deterrent, in order to have a decent impact on the driver, while also gaining the public’s confidence. The first offence of impaired driving, which includes the use of drugs should be: an automatic 6 month suspension, $2,000.00 fine, a 100 hours of community work and 90 days in jail. Keeping in mind that their car insurance will also increase exponentially!! If there is a second time, then all above areas increased significantly.If there is a third time, then a further increase across the board, with a 6 month jail sentence, 3 year driving license suspension, with 300 hours of community service time, also keeping in mind their car insurance will again increase substantially. This should then be a very serious wake-up call!!!
The punishment will also be too lenient if the kills someone after getting his license back.
A few months in jail would sober him up then mandated alcohol treatment programs.
It’s time the courts took impaired driving seriously
Should have license removed for life and locked up
For year
Punishment to lenient
Bruce Foote
Cheers