Police are crediting a passer-by with helping to arrest a combative impaired driver.
On October 4 at 7:05 p.m., Warren OPP officers responded to a single-vehicle accident in Markstay, west of Sturgeon Falls.
A pick-up truck towing a cargo trailer left the roadway and came to rest in the ditch. The driver was not injured.
Upon speaking with the driver, officers concluded he had been drinking and while trying to arrest, him he resisted and threatened to kill an officer.
"With the assistance of a passerby, the officer was able to gain control of the combative individual," said Constable Michelle Coulombe. "While being transported to the detachment for processing, the accused continually kicked the rear window and in doing so, damaged the metal bars."
He also refused to comply with the breath demand.
As a result, Marcel Laforest, 41, from Sudbury, was charged with:
- Operation while impaired - alcohol and drugs
- Failure or refusal to comply with demand
- Uttering death threats
- Mischief - destroys or damages property
Laforest was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on October 28 in Sudbury.
He was issued a 90-day Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
This charge marks the 49th driver charged under Criminal Impaired Driving Laws in the Nipissing West Detachment area in 2020.
