Sunday, August 24, 2008

OPP LAY EIGHTY CHARGES RELATED TO HEMPFEST

(Thessalon) East Algoma OPP officers, in conjunction with East Algoma OPP Crime Unit and Sault Ste Marie Drug Enforcement Section, laid a total of eighty charges during a four-day traffic enforcement initiative in Aberdeen Township, in the area of Hempfest. The initiative targeted impaired driving and vehicle documentation / safety.

As a result of this initiative, the following charges were laid:

-65 Provincial offences – a combination of charges for improper or missing documentation, improper equipment, seatbelt offences, and liquor offences

-9 suspended drivers were charged for driving while under suspension; in conjunction with this, 4 vehicles were then removed from the highway due to lack of licensed driver

-4 vehicles were taken out of service for being unfit for operation on the highway

-11 roadside tests were administered, with 1 12-hour suspension being issued

-6 criminal warrants were executed for offences ranging from public mischief to failure to comply with conditions

-2 charges were laid for possession of prohibited weapons

-5 charges were laid for possession of cannabis less than 30 grams

-1 charge of possession of psilocybin (‘magic mushrooms’) for the purpose of trafficking was laid; this was against Brad GRIER, 20, of Sudbury, after a substantial quantity of the drug was found in a vehicle, the street value of which was approximately $800

-a female young offender from Serpent River First Nation was arrested for possession of cannabis and assaulting a police officer

-in the most serious incident of the weekend, on Saturday evening a 22 year old male from Sault Ste Marie was arrested for being intoxicated in a public place after being found wandering on Poplar Dale Road in a confused and hallucinatory state. The male admitted to consuming, over the course of 9 hours, a combination of 18 beers, cannabis, LSD, and Ecstasy. His condition required immediate medical intervention; after being examined he was lodged overnight at Thessalon OPP and charged with Being Intoxicated in a Public Place

The OPP would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation during this initiative to keep the roads of East Algoma safe and secure for all motorists.