A A

DARTMOUTH, N.S. —

Nova Scotia’s most infamous impaired driver is back behind bars on new charges, and the Crown is opposing his release for the protection of the public.

Terry Lee Naugle, 62, of Gaetz Brook has 23 convictions for impaired driving, failing the breathalyzer or refusing to provide a breath sample and is subject to a lifetime ban on operating a motor vehicle.

Naugle was arrested in the Dartmouth area Tuesday for allegedly driving a stolen car while impaired and having cocaine in his possession.

He appeared in Dartmouth provincial court Wednesday on charges of impaired driving, driving while prohibited, stealing a motor vehicle — a 2010 brown Honda Civic — and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Prosecutor Stephanie Morton was going to ask that a bail hearing be put off for a few days so the Crown could prepare, but that wasn’t necessary after defence duty counsel Alex Baranowski informed the court Naugle was consenting to remain in custody.

Judge Ted Tax scheduled the case to return to court in three weeks and remanded Naugle to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth. His next court appearance will be by video.

Six federal prison sentences

Naugle received an 8.5-year prison sentence and a permanent driving prohibition in February 2010, after he pleaded guilty in Dartmouth provincial court to charges of impaired driving, driving while disqualified and leaving the scene of a March 2009 crash.

That was Naugle’s 15th conviction for driving while prohibited and his sixth federal prison term.

At sentencing, a Crown attorney said Naugle was “the worst of the worst-known offenders when it comes to impaired drivers in Nova Scotia.”

This is the third time police have allegedly caught Naugle behind the wheel of a vehicle in less than seven months.

He was charged with impaired driving and driving while prohibited after a traffic stop in Dartmouth in July and driving while prohibited and obstructing police after he was pulled over in Shearwater in October.

Naugle has elected to be tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court by a judge and jury on both those sets of charges, but trial dates have yet to be set.

Anissa MacLeod, MADD Canada's Atlantic director, was pleased to hear Naugle is not seeking bail, at least for now.

"Given that this individual doesn't appear to respect the laws and continues to put the public at risk, the fact that he is not out driving on our roads means that the risk is not immediate," MacLeod said Wednesday.

RELATED: