Driving hands-free landed one man in court when policed discovered a small quantity of marijuana on the motorist in Huntsville last month.
Crown attorney Peter Heath said a police officer conducting seatbelt enforcement on April 29 noticed Harley Zaporzan driving “at a slow rate of speed” and saw him texting with both hands while driving before pulling him over.
“As he approached the vehicle, he observed he was still using the cellphone,” said Heath.
Court heard that the officer saw a number of marijuana flakes in Zaporzan’s vehicle and noticed a smell of marijuana. The 29-year-old admitted he had a “half-smoked roach” and more marijuana in a backpack inside his vehicle. A police search confirmed his admissions.
His attorney Tamara Joseph noted Zaporzan was “quite cooperative” with police throughout the incident. She said the marijuana in his vehicle had been smoked a day prior and that Zaporzan was not smoking marijuana when he was driving on the date of his arrest.
When asked if he had anything to say, Zaporzan apologized for his actions, saying he used “poor judgment.”
On May 29, a Bracebridge judge fined Zaporzan $525 for operating a cellphone while driving and for possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana.