Former ski champion fined 100,000 crowns for drunk driving a snowmobile and assaulting a police officer
A Klatovy court has fined Jiří Bárta, a former Czech extreme skiing representative, 100,000 crowns and imposed a two-year driving ban. He drove a snowmobile without registration plates while intoxicated, drove through a no-entry zone, and kicked a police officer in the groin during a routine check.
Former ski champion fined 100,000 crowns for drunk driving a snowmobile and assaulting a police officer
A Klatovy court on Tuesday fined Jiří Bárta (43), a former Czech extreme skiing representative from the Železnorudsko region. He received a fine of 100,000 crowns and lost his driving licence for two years. The man admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and assaulting a law enforcement officer. The ruling is final, according to the news server Novinky.cz.
The incident occurred in early February in the Šumava region, specifically at Špičák. Law enforcement officers spotted a man on a snowmobile that lacked registration plates. He was driving through a no-entry zone and driving in the wrong direction, endangering oncoming traffic. When a patrol attempted to stop him, the driver tried to flee. On a section without snow, the snowmobile stopped responding and officers managed to halt the vehicle.
Afterwards, he refused to cooperate and repeatedly attempted to get back on and leave. After several unsuccessful warnings, police officers used coercive measures. One officer pushed him to the ground and, together with a colleague, attempted to turn him over to put him in handcuffs. At that moment, Bárta kicked one of the officers in the groin. Police only subdued him with the help of tear gas.
Judge Jan Kasal approved an agreement reached between the defendant and prosecutor Jan Hrubý. According to Kasal, the punishment was proportionate to the offence committed. He also remarked that if he had decided the case on his own, he would have considered ordering the defendant to attend a social training programme. He pointed to Bárta's earlier conviction for assaulting two Šumava National Park rangers.
"The defendant clearly has difficulty communicating with state authorities. In this case, police officers spent roughly twenty minutes explaining to him that he should cooperate with them. Unfortunately, that did not happen," Kasal said. In court, Bárta expressed regret and admitted that his conduct had brought shame to his family.
Source: Novinky.cz