The OPP is concerned with a jump in drunk drivers over the past week.
Last Wednesday at approximately 1:15 p.m., Powassan OPP received a complaint about a suspicious vehicle.
It was found on Green Bay Road, Nipissing Township.
The driver, Ivett Sedore, age 40 of Callander, was arrested and charged with "Care or Control With More Than 80 mgs. of Alcohol in Blood".
Sedore was released from police custody and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on June 30.
Then, on Friday at approximately 9:50 p.m., members of the North Bay OPP were called about an eastbound vehicle on Highway 17, in East Ferris, which was crossing the centre line, hitting the shoulder and braking for no apparent reason.
The vehicle drove along a number of roads in East Ferris, and then drove back onto Highway 17 westbound, going through the red light in the construction zone.
The vehicle was stopped by police on Highway 17 and Jean-Claude Lavigne, age 57 of Mattawa was charged with:
- Driving with More than 80 mgs. of Alcohol in Blood,
- Driving While Ability Impaired,
- Dangerous Operation of Motor Vehicle,
- Flight While Pursued by Police Officer,
- Driving Motor Vehicle with Open Container of Liquor,
- Drive Motor Vehicle, No Currently Validated Permit,
- Red Light Fail to Stop,
- Drive Motor Vehicle No Licence, and
- Owner Operate Vehicle No Insurance.
Lavigne was released from custody and will attend Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on July 10.
And yesterday at approximately 3:45 a.m., a Bonfield resident was awakened by someone on his property.
A man approached the resident and asked him to call an ambulance, as he had just been involved in a vehicle crash.
Ambulance and police arrived and the driver of the vehicle, Matthew Douglas, 23, from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, was charged with:
- Driving Motor Vehicle While Ability Impaired,
- Take Motor Vehicle Without Consent,.
Douglas suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to hospital.
He is to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on June 30.
“Impaired driving continues to be a key priority for the OPP," states Staff Sergeant Laura Houliston. "Officers will be out on roadways and waterways all summer targeting people who choose to use alcohol or drugs and drive.”
