Son of former Newfoundland premier facing “substantial jail term”
John “Jack” Tobin, the son of former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin pleaded guilty on Tuesday to impaired driving causing death in connection with an accident that killed his friend Alex Zolpis. He will be sentenced—to what the prosecuting attorney hopes is a “substantial jail term”—in the late summer. According to court documents, the accident on the roof of a downtown Ottawa parking garage closed out what had been a alcohol-soaked Christmas party among friends. Tobin, along with Zolpis and five others, had spent the evening drinking in two local pubs before the group opted to go drink whiskey in Tobin’s rented pick-up truck. Zolpis died when he got caught underneath the truck while Tobin was doing “donuts” on the roof of the parking garage. It is unclear how Zolpis, as well as another friend who wasn’t injured in the incident, ended up stuck underneath the vehicle.