Police say $11,000 of suspected fentanyl is off the streets and a suspect has also been charged in connection with the torching of a pickup truck last month.
Sault Ste. Marie Police say they arrested the man yesterday on charges of arson, operation while prohibited, and several other offences.
Police said around 2:40 a.m. on Feb. 7, 911 Communicators received a report of a fire on Portage Lane.
Upon arrival, officers saw a truck on fire beside the train tracks. The fire was extinguished by Fire Services.
An investigation determined the fire to be arson, police said in a news release.
The investigation also found a suspect had fled from a routine traffic stop by the Ontario Provincial Police while driving the truck just hours before.
Around 2 p.m. on March 5, officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in the 0-100 block of Industrial Park Crescent in which the suspect in the arson was a passenger.
The suspect was arrested and a subsequent search found the man to be in possession of approximately 55 grams of suspected fentanyl, police allege.
The estimated street value of drugs seized is $11,000, according to police.
Tyler Ross, 36, is charged with:
- Arson
- Possession of Schedule I Substance for Purpose of Trafficking
- Operation While Prohibited – Criminal Code x4
- Operation While Prohibited – Legal Restriction From Any Other Act x2
- Driving While Under Suspension
- Failure to Comply with Probation Order x3
- Failure to Comply with Release Order x2
The accused was held in custody pending a bail hearing.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and Ross is considered innocent unless proven guilty.