WESTLOCK – An Edmonton man faces a $2,400 fine and lost his driver’s licence for 30 days after piloting his motorcycle to nearly double the posted speed limit just north of Jarvie in the summer of 2021.
In Westlock Provincial Court Jan. 5, ticket agent Bernie Bourassa entered a guilty plea to exceeding the maximum speed limit on behalf of Timothy Edward Raho. Judge Brian Fraser, presiding via Webex from St. Albert Provincial Court, fined Raho $2,400 and suspended his driver’s licence for a month — Raho had wanted a year to pay the fine, but was given until June 22. The ticket also adds six demerit points to Raho’s licence.
Provincial Crown prosecutor Dave Hall told court that at around 11 p.m., June 20, 2021, Westlock RCMP were conducting patrols on Highway 44 near Township Road 634, which is just north of the Hamlet of Jarvie.
“The officer observed a northbound motorcycle travelling at an extremely high rate of speed and radar confirmed it was travelling at 182 km/h,” said Hall, noting a prior four-demit speeding ticket on Raho’s record from the last 18 months. “There were two police vehicles in the area and they performed the stop.”
Hall said Raho told RCMP he was heading to High Prairie to see his mother who was in hospital and “was extremely distraught at the time.”
“Which wasn’t a good thing when you’re travelling at those speeds on a motorcycle,” Hall said.
Bourassa told court that Raho has since sold the bike and is “very remorseful.”
“He is more than happy to walk to work as he has about a 10-minute walk,” said Bourassa. “I have informed him that if this happens again there is a possibility of jail … a lot of people don’t understand that these tickets can lead to jail time. He’s very remorseful and very aware of the situation.”
Second big ticket
Meanwhile, a second man caught travelling at 160 km/h on Highway 33 near Camp Creek in the fall will pay close to $2,000 in fines, but will keep his driver’s licence.
At 10:50 p.m., Sept. 12, 2021, an RCMP officer clocked Muhammad Zeeshan Nassar travelling at 160 km/h on Highway 33 near Camp Creek in the County of Barrhead.
Judge Fraser fined Nassar $1,800 for speeding and tacked on a $120 fine for failing to appear at a previous court date — Nassar has until May 25 to pay the two. The speeding ticket also adds six demerits to Nassar’s licence.
“I did an AMA course to get three demerits back … I already have one suspension and it would have been suspended again with these six demerits,” Nassar told court.
