Pregnant N.W.T. woman sentenced for theft, drunk driving

A pregnant woman from Fort Resolution, N.W.T., has pleaded guilty to stealing a car and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Late Jan. 19, police were called to the Yellowknife bowling alley where a woman said her van, which had been left running outside, had been stolen.

Soon after, the RCMP spotted the vehicle heading towards Behchoko, N.W.T.

Using a loudspeaker, the police repeatedly told the driver to pull over. The van started swerving slowly across the highway until the driver eventually pulled off the road.

When police got to the car, they say Alana Biscaye, 23, was holding down the brake pedal with her hand.

Police said she was behaving erratically, and she said she couldn't get the car in park.

She blew double the legal limit on the breathalyzer test.

Biscaye was pregnant with her third child, and didn’t have a valid licence at the time of the incident.

In court, she apologized to the owner of the van. Biscaye said she thinks she was heading to Rae, a community in Behchoko, to see her two children who live with their father.

She said she doesn't normally get into trouble and had no right to take someone else's vehicle.

Judge Robert Gorin agreed that the crimes seemed out of character for Biscaye, who has no criminal record.

He sentenced her to a two-year driving prohibition, a $1,500 fine and 30 hours of community service. She will also be on probation for 18 months, during which she is not allowed to drink.

Gorin warned Biscaye that if she is caught driving during the ban, she could end up in jail.