One person faces charges, including impaired driving and resist police, after officers responded to a report of an erratic driver in the area of Pine Street and Queen Street East on Saturday evening.
The vehicle in question was located in the Bellevue Marina parking lot and responding officers suspected the driver's "ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol," says a news release issued by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service.
Police say the driver resisted arrest and refused to provide a breath sample.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Full text of the news release follows:
On May 25, 2024, officers with Patrol Services charged 40-year-old Charles Syrette with operation while impaired, refusal to comply with demand, resisting a peace officer, and operation while prohibited.
Around 8 p.m., 911 Communicators received a report of a vehicle driving erratically in the area of Pine Street and Queen Street East. Officers were dispatched to the area and located the vehicle in a marina parking lot in the 0-100 block of Pine Street. As officers approached the vehicle, the driver attempted to reverse out of the area but eventually came to a stop.
Upon speaking with the driver, who they identified as the accused, officers developed grounds to believe their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol. When officers returned to their cruiser to investigate the accused, the accused got out of their vehicle and began to walk away. Officers approached the accused and informed them they were under arrest. Although the accused physically resisted officers, they were arrested.
Officers read the accused a demand for a breath sample, and they refused to provide one.
The accused is charged with:
• Operation while impaired – drug and/or alcohol
• Operation while prohibited
• Failure or refusal to comply with demand
• Resist peace officer
The accused was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on June 17, 2024.