The number of impaired charges in the North Bay area continues to grow.
Officers were called to a single-vehicle collision on Highway 63 in Phelps Township on Sunday.
No one was injured in the incident, but when the police arrived and conducted their investigation, they arrested the driver for impaired driving at the scene. They were then brought to the North Bay Police Service for testing by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).
As a result, a 39-year-old from Kebaowek, Quebec, was charged with operation while impaired – drugs.
The accused was released on a promise to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on January 7. They were also issued a 90-day automatic driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
Also on Sunday, North Bay OPP conducted an audit on impaired driving stats and found that some charges were missing in the stats. The previous total was 60. With this arrest, as well as the addition of the missing charges, the yearly total for 2019 currently sits at 68. There were 49 charges in all of 2018.
“This incident marks 68 drivers charged under criminal impaired driving laws in the North Bay Detachment area in 2019,” says Staff Sergeant Bill McMullen, Detachment Commander of North Bay OPP. “Officers have also issued 29 three-day suspensions for drivers in the warn range of alcohol. The public can expect officers to be out at all times during the day and night conducting vehicle stops and RIDE programs. All drivers should anticipate the possibility of being asked to provide a sample of their breath under Mandatory Alcohol Screening laws. Please drive sober!”
