Monday, July 24, 2006

IMPAIRED DRIVER CAUSES ECHO BAY POWER OUTAGE

Echo Bay, Ont.,

A crash early Saturday morning involving a hydro pole, a railway crossing sign and a pick up truck is responsible for a power outage in Echo Bay.

On Saturday morning at about 3:00 a.m. OPP and Anishinabek Police were called to the railway crossing at the intersection of Hwy 17 and Hwy 638 in Echo Bay after a report of a truck that struck a hydro pole.

Officers arrived to find that a pole had been snapped in half and one of the railway crossing signals knocked down. The collision caused a power outage in Echo Bay.

As a result of the investigation police have charged a Sault Ste Marie man with two drinking and driving offences. Twenty one (21) year old Jeff WHITFIELD of Oakpark Crescent in Sault Ste Marie has been charged with Impaired Driving and Driving with a Blood Alcohol Level over .08. The pick up truck he was driving had major damage and had to be towed from the scene.

NOISY CAMPERS GET FINED AND BOOTED OUT

Pancake Bay, Ont.,

Officers with the Sault Ste Marie OPP were called to Pancake Bay Provincial Park to evict two campsites that partied way too much.

On Saturday morning at about 8:00 a.m. police were called to the park to evict eleven people off of two sites. The investigation indicates that the people were warned several times about excessive noise throughout Friday night. Four Sault Ste Marie residents were charged under the Provincial Parks Act with Excessive Noise and evicted from the park.

Three males and one female were charged. They are 24 year old Matthew TONON, 23 year old Michael AMADIO, 21 year old Steven MANCUSO and a 19 year old female Addi CHARTERS, all of Sault Ste Marie.

NO INJURIES AFTER MOTORCYCLE REAR ENDS PICK UP TRUCK

Echo Bay, Ont.,

The driver of a motorcycle escaped injury on Saturday afternoon after he slammed into the back of a pick up truck on Hwy 17 in Echo Bay.

On Saturday at about 3:15 p.m. a pick up truck was stopped on Hwy 17 in front of a business waiting to make a left hand turn. The operator of the motorcycle did not see the truck in time and ran into the back of the pick up. No one was hurt in the crash but the motorcycle had to be towed from the scene.

Thirty three year old Jason WILLIAMS of Softwood Drive in Sault Ste Marie was charged with Follow Too Close under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario

BAIL COURT APPEARANCE FOR PIPE SWINGING BATCHEWANA MAN

Goulais River, Ont.,

A Batchewana First Nation man will appear in bail court this morning after a pipe swinging incident in Goulais River on Saturday night.

At about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night police and First Response personnel were called to a Young Road residence after a report of a man assaulting a woman.

Members of the Goulais River First Response were first to arrive. As they approached the home the suspect had a steel pipe in his hand and threatened the firefighters and a woman at the home.

He was eventually disarmed without incident and taken into custody. A forty two (42) year old Batchewana First Nation man was arrested at the scene. He is charged with Assault, Assault with a Weapon, Threatening and two counts of Breach of Probation. The accused is on Probation with terms of not to harass or annoy the victim.

The woman at the scene was injured but did not require any medical treatment. Further charges are pending in this investigation.

“SEASONALLY CHALLANGED” PEOPLE

Havilland Bay, Ont.,

On Sunday morning at about 10:00 a.m. police were called to the Havilland Bay and Stokley Creek area of Goulais River after a report of a snow machine (yep—a snow machine) running across the waters and beaches in that area.

An officer arrived to find numerous tracks on the shoreline. Interviews were conducted with property owners but the seasonally challenged operators of the machine were nowhere to be found. Police can’t help but to think that alcohol may have played a factor in the decision to drive a snow machine on the water.









VICTIM IN SATURDAY NIGHTS FATAL CRASH IDENTIFIED

Heyden, Ont.,

Sault Ste Marie OPP are continuing their investigation into the fatal collision that took the life of a Goulais River man on Saturday night.

On Saturday 22 July 2006 at about 10:15 p.m. a pick up truck was southbound on Hwy 17 near the MTO Truck Inspection Station in Heyden. The truck crossed the centerline and struck a northbound motorcycle head on. The driver of the motorcycle was killed in the crash.

The driver of the motorcycle has been identified as fifty one (51) year old Larry W. HILL, of Goulais River.

The operator of the pick up truck will be appearing in bail court this morning. Twenty six year old Sigmund GEBHART of Goulais River faces one charge of Dangerous Driving Causing Death contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.