Shortly before midnight, on Aug.15, 2021, city police officers spotted a man urinating in the Gateway Casino parking lot.
They also noticed his vehicle was running, and when they went to speak with him, found he was having difficulty finding his licence, insurance and other documents.
The Elliot Lake man's eyes were bloodshot, he was fidgeting, and the officers demanded he take a sobriety test, a judge heard Tuesday.
Aaron Marcella also provided police with a urine sample, which detected a number of drugs in his system, prosecutor Blair Hagan said.
The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to careless driving under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.
As a result of driving the vehicle to the casino with drugs in his system he operated it in a careless manner, Hagan told Ontario Court Justice John Condon.
Defence lawyer Wayne Chorney acknowledged that his client had been behind the wheel and had consumed substances.
At the time of the offence, Marcella's vehicle was running, he had driven it to the casino, and didn't do well on the sobriety test, the accused's lawyer said.
He had been on a public roadway before entering the parking lot.
The Crown and defence jointly recommended that Marcella be fined $1,000 and be placed on a 12-month Provincial Offences Act probation order, which bans him from getting behind the wheel for six months.
"There were triable issues," Hagan said.
Chorney told the court that Marcella, who is employed at a White River mine, has no criminal record, and faces hefty monetary penalties that include the fine, a victim surcharge and court costs.
"I'm sorry. This has been an eye-opening experience for me," Marcella said, indicating he has learned an "extremely hard lesson" that means he can't drive for six months.
Agreeing it was a "hard lesson learned," Condon told him he suspects that when his insurance company "learns of this it will teach you a lesson as well."
When he imposed the $1,000 fine, the judge said Marcella is prohibited from operating or having care and control of a vehicle "between now and March 14, 2023."
During his entire one-year probation, he can't possess any drugs not prescribed for him.
Anytime Marcella is operating a vehicle he must carry of a copy of the probation order with his driver's licence and present them to police when requested.
"Don't be tempted to drive during the first six months," Condon warned him.
"It will complicate your life immensely if you do."