Former Nova Scotia politician Trevor Zinck was found guilty of drunk driving, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and was issued a one-year driving ban in Dartmouth provincial court on Wednesday.

Police charged Zinck with driving over the legal limit and impaired driving after an incident in October 2013. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In court on Wednesday, Judge Frank Hoskins found Zinck guilty of driving over the legal limit, but stayed his impaired driving charge.

"The reason they do that is because the charges are so close together that if you're convicted on one, you're not convicted on both," Melanie Perry, the Crown prosecutor, told reporters outside the courtroom.

When he took the stand at his trial in March, Zinck disputed testimony from several witnesses, including one who said he and another man drank 26 beers between them on Oct. 2, 2013.

In handing down the verdict, Hoskins said he did not believe Zinck's version of events that night, calling his testimony "highly suspicious," "hard to believe," and sprinkled with "embellishments."

"I do not believe Zinck," the judge said. "Zinck's evidence should be rejected in its entirety."

Outside the courtroom, Zinck said he was looking forward to putting this chapter behind him.

"It came at a difficult time in my life. I respect the decision, I don't necessarily agree with the entirety of it. I'm looking forward to moving on," he said.

Zinck said he doesn't regret going to trial because he had his chance to be heard. The federal election is up next for him, he said.

"I'm supporting an independent candidate and I'm going to be an official agent in the Chester-St. Margaret's area," he said. Zinck said he couldn't remember the local candidate's name.

Zinck opted for judge-only trial

Zinck told court he and a friend spent the evening at the bar of Beazley Bowling Lanes where they each consumed about six beers. He said after spending about five hours at the bar, he and the friend decided to take Zinck's car back to his apartment to continue drinking.

Earlier in the trial, a bowling alley employee testified that Zinck and another man drank 26 beers between them before leaving in a vehicle.

Zinck said he initially got in the driver's seat and began driving, but before leaving the parking lot his friend insisted on taking the wheel instead. Zinck said the friend drove the car back to Zinck's apartment.

Zinck told his judge-only trial he was walking from the car to his apartment building when a police cruiser approached him and an officer told him to get back in his vehicle. Zinck said his friend went to a nearby wooded area to urinate and did not come back.

Halifax Regional Police Const. Dan Kavanaugh told the court that he stopped Zinck's car in the parking lot after receiving a report of a possible impaired driver.

He said Zinck initially agreed to the breathalyzer but became increasingly unco-operative and began cursing and shouting, asking the police if they knew who he was.

A phone Zinck was holding had to be wrestled away and Zinck had to be placed in handcuffs before officers could administer the breathalyzer, Kavanaugh said.