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Jeff Brace, 56, entered a guilty plea in provincial court in St. John’s Wednesday on a charge of operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level exceeding the legal limit. He is also charged with operating a vehicle while impaired, a charge that is expected to be withdrawn by the Crown given the plea change.

Brace was charged in September 2016 after reportedly coming off the Team Gushue Highway on his motorcycle and stopping at a stop sign next to Tim Hortons on Kenmount Road. An RNC officer pulled Brace over after noticing his motorcycle was tipping.

Brace will be sentenced in January. A joint submission of recommendations on sentencing is expecting to be presented by the defence and the Crown.

While there’s a mandatory minimum sentence of 120 days in jail for a third impaired driving conviction, the Crown has discretion when it comes to requesting that sentence.

Brace was charged with impaired driving offences in 2011 after he crashed his motorcycle in downtown St. John’s, receiving injuries as a result. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty on a count of failing the breathalyzer. The Crown then withdrew the impaired driving charge. Brace was sentenced to a one-year driving ban and a fine of $1,200.

In 1997, Brace was fined $600 and lost his licence for a year after an impaired driving-related incident.