She got into a car accident, then came the false accusations she was high on cannabis
CBC
Pam Staples-Wilkinson has never consumed cannabis in her life.
Yet, in March 2021, the New Brunswick woman found herself trying to convince a Fredericton police officer she was not high when she got into a car accident near Regent Mall just minutes earlier.
Const. Garret Fancy didn't believe her. He hand-cuffed her and took her to the station on Queen Street.
She would spend the next two hours being questioned and subjected to a 12-step test officers use on people they suspect of being under the influence of a drug while driving.
She left the station that night not being allowed to drive for the next seven days, and with a promise to appear in court to answer to an impaired driving charge.
For the next nine months, Staples-Wilkinson would live in an anxious state of limbo until a negative drug test result ultimately cleared her name.
This summer, Staples-Wilkinson received a written apology from former police chief Roger Brown, who assured her Fancy would be put on probation and required to be retrained.
However, she said the experience has shaken her faith in the police and damaged her mental health.
"It was mentally stressing 'cause I still didn't know how I went from a simple car accident to being charged for drugs," Staples-Wilkinson said.
"I had to go on medication 'cause I wasn't sleeping properly or even coming close to it. It was constantly on my mind."
It was about 4 p.m. on March 16, 2021 and Staples-Wilkinson had just left the restaurant where she works.
She was driving north on Arnold Drive toward the Vanier Highway, when someone coming from the opposite direction made a left turn just as she was going through the Bishop Drive intersection.
She said the front of her car hit the passenger side of the other car, leaving her shaken, and with symptoms of a concussion.
She got out of her car to check on the other driver before calling 911.
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