Judge drops charges against Kulka

Judge drops charges against Kulka

By LISA LISLE -- Ottawa Sun

Former Rough Rider and wrestler Glenn Kulka arrives at court yesterday, where drunk-driving charges against him were dropped. -- Tony Caldwell, Ottawa Sun

Former CFL all-star and WWF wannabe Glenn Kulka won his rematch against Lady Justice yesterday thanks to the distracted OPP tag team that took him on.

Impaired driving charges against the 35-year-old former Ottawa Rough Rider defensive end were thrown out yesterday because the two OPP cops responding to January's four-vehicle crash on Hwy. 417 near Parkdale Ave. didn't have reasonable grounds to arrest him.

Justice Bernard Ryan said the smell of alcohol was enough to administer a roadside breathalyzer test but not enough for an arrest.

The crash occurred just before 11 p.m. Jan. 24, when the car Kulka was driving slammed into a second vehicle.

Both drivers stopped their vehicles and were standing on the side of the road when Mark Schenk, also headed east on Hwy. 417, slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision.

"I just managed to stop," Schenk said outside the courtroom yesterday.

While Schenk spoke to the other two drivers, a fourth vehicle rammed his car and then bounced into one of the vehicles involved in the initial collision.

Schenk's wife Leah Anderson, who was still sitting in the car when the fourth vehicle came along, was taken to hospital for neck and back injuries.

Concerned the cars could cause a serious chain reaction of crashes, Senior Const. Frank Maestri and acting Sgt. John Putinski -- who didn't have a roadside tester with them -- decided to arrest Kulka and bring him to the station.

NO PROBABLE GROUNDS

When Putinski brought Kulka to his cruiser, the hulking Gloucester resident was "unsteady" on his feet.

"The staggering took place after the arrest," Justice Ryan said, noting the officers didn't have probable grounds until the arrest had already been made.

Because of this, the breathalyzer test done at the police station --which indicated the 270-lb. man had two times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood -- wasn't presented as evidence.

"I'm very thankful the charges were dropped," said Kulka, who has since dropped his dream of being in the wrestling ring to become a fitness consultant. "But I still recognize the severity of the charges."

Yesterday wasn't Kulka's first tangle in the legal ring. In March 1992, he pleaded guilty and was fined $300 for cocaine possession. The CFL also slapped him with a $500 fine and ordered him to act as the league's anti-drug spokesman.

Although his dad Stan Kulka said his son had inked a three-year deal with the WWF last winter, Kulka said yesterday past injuries have kept him out of the ring.

ON THE DEFENSIVE

- 1990-94: Glenn Kulka spends five seasons playing for the Ottawa Rough Riders during his 11-year career as a defensive end with the CFL.

- March 1992: Kulka pleads guilty to cocaine possession and is fined $300. The CFL also hits him with a $500 fine for the offence and orders him to act as the league's anti-drug spokesman.

- Nov. 1997: Kulka makes his WWF debut at the Corel Centre after learning tricks of the trade from the Hart family in Calgary. He wins his first match against Sexton Hardcastle.

- Feb. 1999: Kulka returns to the ring after breaking his leg in the ring during a 1998 match.

- Jan. 24, 2000: Kulka is charged with impaired driving after he was involved in a four-vehicle crash on Hwy. 417 near Parkdale Ave.

- Feb. 2000: The WWF releases Kulka from a three-year deal inked just before his arrest, reporting the news on its official website but giving no reason.

- Oct. 25, 2000: Judge drops impaired driving charge against Kulka.

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