A Pembroke dentist charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving causing death has been granted full parole. The Ottawa Citizen reports that Christy Natsis is now free to return home after exemplary time she spent at an Ottawa half way house where she’s been living since June. Natsis served 13 months of a 5-year sentence before she granted day parole this summer.
Natsis was convicted after a head-on collision on Highway 17 back in 2011 that killed 50-year-old Bryan Casey who was a married father of two. The former dentist from Pembroke was drunk at the time of the crash with a blood alcohol concentration 2.5 times over the legal limit.
The Parole Board of Canada says Natsis will not present a risk to society if released. Casey’s family members submitted letters to the board opposing full day parole and also asking that Natsis stay away from Ottawa due to the trauma she has caused them.
Natsis acknowledges she is an alcoholic has been banned from the purchase, possession and consumption of alcohol. She is also not allowed in bars, banned from driving for four years, possessing weapons for 10-years and not allowed to contact Casey’s family. Since Natsis is an American citizen she could have faced deportation as a result of her conviction, but that’s not said to be an option at this time.
She plans to return to her family home and resume her dental practice. Natsis still has a disciplinary hearing before the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario scheduled early next year.
