A Port Hope man was convicted of a third-offense OWI after a Huron County jury spent less than an hour deliberating Tuesday.
It only took a jury 40 minutes on March 12 to find 61-year-old Douglas Harold Plester guilty of operating while intoxicated, his third after two OWI convictions in 2005. Though operating while intoxicated is usually only a misdemeanor, the repeat offenses elevated the most recent charge, stemming from a May 2023 traffic stop, to a felony.
In addition to hearing testimony from the responding officer who pulled Plester over, jurors were shown bodycam footage of the defendant failing a series of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and being promptly arrested. Other testimony touched on Plester’s breathalyzer test, which found his blood alcohol content at 0.08%, making the man legally impaired.
Operating While Intoxicated-Third Offense is a felony punishable by either one to five years in prison or probation with 30 days to one year in jail, a fine of $500 to $5,000, plus six points to the driver’s record.
Huron County Circuit Court Judge Gerald M. Prill scheduled sentencing for Plester on Monday, April 29 at 9 a.m. Plester remains free on bond.
