This past holiday weekend saw a handful of drivers receive a lump of coal in the form of impaired driving arrests.
The Thunder Bay Police Service arrested seven people on impaired driving charges between Friday, December 22 and Tuesday, December 26. In addition, five drivers were issued three-day suspensions. Of those five, four had blood alcohol concentrations above 50 mgs, and one was a youth novice driver that had a blood alcohol concentration above zero.
A summary of a few of the incidents follows below:
Driver attempts to resist arrest
A 22-year-old faces multiple charges after being nabbed for impaired driving and then attempting to resist arrest.
A pickup truck was stopped at a business in the 800 block of Red River Road shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 23 by an officer with the Thunder Bay Police Service’s Traffic Unit. The officer had received information that a truck with a similar description had earlier collided with a tree in the parking lot of business in the 800 block of Memorial Avenue. The officer observed the vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed.
Officers determined the driver was impaired by alcohol. He attempted to resist arrest and initially failed to comply with officers but was eventually taken into custody for further testing.
A search led to the suspect being found in possession of a suspected illicit substance.
A 22-year-old man has been charged with Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired – Alcohol or Drugs, Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired – Blood Alcohol Concentration (80 plus), Resisting Arrest, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
He appeared in court over the weekend and was remanded in custody with a future appearance date.
Driver arrested after being found asleep at the wheel
Thunder Bay Police Service officers involved in a Festive RIDE program were dispatched to the intersection of Edward Street South and Walsh Street East shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 23 after receiving reports of a driver passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle.
A responding officer located the vehicle and the unresponsive driver. The officer shifted the vehicle into park and turned off the ignition.
Officers determined the driver was impaired by alcohol. The driver was arrested and taken into custody for further testing.
A 32-year-old Thunder Bay man has been charged with Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired – Alcohol or Drugs and Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired – Blood Alcohol Concentration (80 plus)
Ditched vehicle leads to arrest
A single-vehicle crash led to a Thunder Bay man being charged with impaired driving.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers were dispatched to the scene of the incident in the area of the 800 block of Memorial Avenue shortly after 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26. An unoccupied vehicle was found damaged in a ditch on the side of the road.
Further information led officers to attend a Memorial Avenue business. Officers located a male whose identity matched the owner of the vehicle.
It was determined the driver was impaired by alcohol. He was arrested and taken into custody, where he refused to provide a breath sample.
A 22-year-old Thunder Bay man has been charged with impaired operation of a vehicle and failure to comply with a demand. He was issued a 90-day administrative driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
Incident Date
Location
Thunder Bay