RCMP officer loses licence for 18 months for drunk driving

A suspended RCMP officer who was based on the AcadianPeninsula has been banned from driving for 18 months after being found guilty of impaired driving and of dangerous driving.

Cst. BabaSarwas also fined $3,250 at his sentencing in court Friday.

Sarwas found guilty by a judge in December on charges of drinking and driving and ofdangerous driving.

Sar was arrested during the summer of 2012.

He was posted at the Tracadie-Sheila detachment at the time.

According to court documents, Sar was off duty when he went to a wine festival in Caraquet.

He left in his BMW at 1:30 a.m. with a woman he met at the festival.

Several other off-duty officers who were also at the wine festival testified Sarwas too drunk to drive, but he left anyway.

When Sarencountered a police roadblock, he sped up then braked hard.

Sar testified he did it to play a joke on his colleagues working the roadblock.

Those officers testified they were scared and reached for their guns, but when they recognized Sar was a fellow Mountie, they let him through the roadblock.

However, instead of driving off slowly, Sarsped away and the Mounties realized something was wrong and started a car chase.

The Mounties lost contact with Sar's vehicle, but one officer waited for Sar at his house.

When Sar arrived at this house, the officer suspected he was drunk and Sar failed a breathalyzer test.

Sarwas found guilty of the chargeby a judge in November 2013.

The RCMP say Sar has been suspended without pay since January 2013.

He is currently living in Quebec.

Sar now faces an internal RCMP disciplinary hearing.