Thursday, April 22, 2004

HOUR LONG PURSUIT FOLLOWS COLLISION
(North Bay, Ontario)

Officers from Almaguin Highlands, North East Region Traffic and Marine, Powassan and North Bay OPP detachments arrested a 21- year-old male at the conclusion of an hour long police pursuit.

Yesterday at approximately 10:25 p.m., 45-year-old Patricia Ball of Callander, Ontario was driving a 2001 Saturn northbound on the North Bay Bypass turning left onto Seymour Street. A southbound dark coloured pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed, went through the red light at Seymour Street and collided with Ball’s vehicle.

The truck stopped briefly and fled the scene southbound on Highway 11. Ball was transported to the North Bay General Hospital via ambulance. She was treated for non-life threatening injuries and later released. North Bay OPP investigated the hit and run collision.

Approximately one hour later, Almaguin Highlands OPP responded to a traffic complaint involving a dark coloured pickup truck driving erratically south bound on Highway 11 near Oke Drive, Armour Township just north of Burks Falls Ontario. Officers located the southbound pickup truck on Highway 11south of Burks Falls, in Katrine, Ontario, and attempted to stop it.

The truck fled with police in pursuit. The truck left Highway 11 at Novar turning onto Highway 592 and fled northbound. During the pursuit, an OPP vehicle was rammed by the suspect vehicle but was able to continue the pursuit. The truck subsequently rejoined Highway 11 in Perry Township, and started fleeing northbound.

In all, there were 8 officers involved in the pursuit. OPP officers stopped all southbound traffic on Highway 11 south of Trout Creek and deployed two (2) spike belts in the north bound lanes. At approximately 12:30 this morning, the fleeing vehicle drove over both spike belts flattening all four tires. The truck was forced to stop and the driver was arrested. No members of the public or officers were injured during the pursuit.

Further investigation revealed that the 1985 black Dodge pick up was stolen from Powassan in the early evening hours of Wednesday and had not yet been reported. This was also the same vehicle involved in the hit and run collision earlier in North Bay.

21-year-old Robert Leggett of Powassan is being held for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice, 360 Plouffe Street, North Bay, Ontario on Thursday April 22nd, 2004 at 10:00 a.m.

Legget faces the following charges:

1)Fail to remain at the Scene of an Accident, Section 252 of the Criminal Code of Canada

2)Theft Under $5,000.00, Section 334(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada

3)Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000, Section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada

4)Four (4) counts of Breach of Probation, Section 733.1(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada

5)Three (3) counts of Drive While Disqualified, Section 259(4)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada

6)Dangerous Driving, Section 249(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada

7)Two (2) counts of Fail to Stop for Police, Section 249.1(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada

8)Two (2) counts of Assault With a Weapon, Section 267(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada

A multitude of Highway Traffic Act charges are pending in this matter.