RCMP officer found passed out in a Burger King drive-thru after driving drunk in a police vehicle disciplined
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A B.C. Mountie who drove his vehicle drunk – crashing it before being found passed out behind the wheel in a Burger King drive-thru, where he later resisted arrest – will not lose his job.
A B.C. Mountie who drove his vehicle drunk – crashing it before being found passed out behind the wheel in a Burger King drive-thru, where he later resisted arrest – will not lose his job.
The RCMP conduct board decision was posted online this week, detailing the events that unfolded in April of 2020 and the consequences imposed. In deciding not to terminate the officer, the board noted that he was suffering from undiagnosed and untreated alcohol use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time.
Const. Blaise Picketts, who was a police dog handler, was allowed to take his vehicle and canine colleague home with him. The disciplinary decision says this is a privilege that he abused, particularly since the dog – along with his police-issued automatic weapon and ammunition – was in the car when he drove drunk on his day off.
The decision says Picketts started drinking at a colleague's home around 1 p.m. after several officers and their dogs finished up some training exercises. While there, Picketts made one additional trip to the liquor store in his police SUV around 4 p.m. and "resumed drinking" upon his return.
He didn’t leave the colleague's home until 2 a.m., driving roughly 25 kilometres to Maple Ridge.
"While crossing the Golden Ears Bridge, Const. Picketts scraped his police vehicle on the concrete barrier on the side of the bridge, causing approximately $7,000 in damage to the rear and passenger side of the vehicle," the documents say, later adding that the damage done to the vehicle was indicative of the "serious risk" he posed to himself, the service dog and the public at the time.
Picketts' deliberate choice to do drive drunk was highlighted as an aggravating factor by the conduct board.
