A B.C. man has received 21 impaired driving convictions in what police say is likely a new Canadian record.
The incident, which involved a motorcycle driver with a history of prohibited and impaired driving offences, occurred in Abbotsford in August 2022.
By the time Abbotsford police responded to the call, the man had fled the scene and first responders were helping his passenger, who suffered serious injuries.
Roy Heide, 66, was arrested and his blood alcohol was two times over the legal limit, according to Const. Art Stele. On December 18, Heide pleaded guilty to impaired driving, driving while disqualified and driving while prohibited.
"What's incredibly concerning is that this conviction represented Mr. Heide's twenty-first conviction for impaired driving, which is believed to be the single most conviction for impaired driving offences someone has received in Canadian history,” Stele said.
Heide received a sentence of four years and 354 days in jail for this incident.
Sgt. Paul Walker with Abbotsford Police Department’s traffic enforcement unit said impaired driving can have devastating consequences for innocent people.
"Our front line officers continue to be out enforcing impaired driving laws and taking a zero-tolerance approach to driving while impaired,” said Walker.
Abbotsford Police say its officers are focused on road safety, and this year, nearly 800 impaired drivers have been removed from the roads.
"We continue encouraging our community to report possible impaired drivers to the police,” says Walker.
