Impaired driver arrested in M’Chigeeng
On July 28, in the Pinewood Park area of M’Chigeeng, UCCM Police stopped and arrested the area’s second impaired driver in less than a month.
During the increased enforcement in the Pinewood Park area of M’Chigeeng, UCCM Police have been focussing on visibility which includes RIDE spot checks in the area.
A 58-year-old M’Chigeeng man faces impaired driving charges of driving with over 80 mgs of alcohol and driving with a suspended licence and is scheduled to appear in Gore Bay Court on August 25. Police are asking the public to report incidents of impaired driving by calling the UCCM Police at 1-888-377-7135 or 911.
Vehicle theft in Whitefish River
During the early morning hours of July 26, UCCM Police were called to investigate a theft of a grey 2000 GMC Envoy from a residence on Old Village Road on the Whitefish River First Nation. The owners reported that they had just arrived at the summer residence and were suddenly awakened to the sound of a vehicle starting up. They called police when they realized their vehicle was stolen.
UCCM Police notified surrounding police agencies but were unable to locate the stolen vehicle. The vehicle was located later in the day abandoned in the Flour Mill area of Sudbury.
Police have no suspects at this time and are asking for the public’s assistance in solving this crime. In addition, UCCM Police have recovered two bicycles near the scene of the crime and feel that they may have been used by the culprits. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the UCCM Anishnaabe Police at 1-888-377-7135 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
Safety message from the chief of police
Rodney Nahwegahbow, chief of the UCCM Anishinaabe Police, urges: “Please don’t drive under the influences of alcohol or drugs. Let’s work together to keep citizens safe on our roadways and waterways this holiday weekend.”
OPP asks motorists to help keep emergency personnel safe this long weekend
After 10 years of education efforts, which includes more than 11,000 charges on record since the law came into effect, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is dismayed to see a slow but steady increase in the number of “Move Over” charges it has laid against drivers since 2010.
The OPP will be looking to Ontario drivers to help them reinforce the importance of Ontario’s Move Over law by setting a good example and observing this important law over the Civic Day Long Weekend.
In Ontario, Section 159 (2)(3) of the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) requires drivers to slow down and proceed with caution when passing an emergency vehicle parked on the side of the highway with its lights activated. If the highway has more than one lane, the law requires the driver to move over and leave one lane between their vehicle and the parked emergency vehicle if it can be done safely. Failure to do so can result in a fine of $400 to $2,000 plus three demerit points.
There were 1,502 Section 159 (2)(3) charges last year (2013) and the number has increased steadily since 2010 when the OPP issued 1,067 such charges against Ontario drivers. The increase suggests that many drivers may be unaware of this important law aimed at keeping police and other emergency responders safe on the roadside. Since 1989, five OPP officers have been killed as a result of being struck by a motor vehicle while doing their job on the roadside and many more have been injured. The OPP’s law enforcement and other safety partners have also lost colleagues in these situations.
“The OPP would like to see full compliance with this law indicating that drivers are fully on board with helping us keep officers and all other emergency responders safe on the roadside,” said Chief Superintendent Chuck Cox, the new Provincial Commander of the OPP Highway Safety Division. “With the higher volumes of traffic on long weekends, police and other emergency personnel respond to far more calls for service at the roadside, making it a particularly important time to move over a lane when able to do so safely,” added Cox.
Over the weekend, the OPP is also asking road users to help them keep roads safe and free of aggressive, distracted and impaired driving behaviours and by ensuring that all vehicle occupants are buckled up.
Arrest warrant for Sheguiandah man
Officers of the UCCM Anishnaabe Police Service have obtained an arrest warrant for Dakota Shawanda, age 20, of the Sheguiandah First Nation. The warrant is in connection to a case in which the accused threatened to kill a Sheguiandah resident on July 19, 2014. The accused had also threatened to kill the dog of the resident during the same incident. Police are looking for the public’s assistance in the apprehension of the accused. If anyone has information that may assist in the arrest, they are asked to contact police immediately by calling the UCCM Police at 1-888-377-7135 or Sudbury Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
UCCM Police makes several arrests in bail violations
On July 18, UCCM Anishnaabe Police received a report that an Aundeck Omni Kaning man was violating his bail conditions. Police were made aware that the man was in Toronto and not in the presence of his surety. Officers confirmed that while out on bail, the 22-year-old man had violated his bail conditions.
The man was subsequently arrested on July 22. A 22-year-old man of Aundeck Omni Kaning is charged with one count of breach of recognizance Sec. 145(3) CC. He was remanded into custody awaiting a bail hearing on July 25. The original charges stem from an August 2013 incident in which the accused was charged with break and enter, voyeurism and criminal harassment.
On July 18, 2014 UCCM Anishnaabe Police were made aware that a M’Chigeeng woman was also in violation of her conditions of bail by failing to abide a curfew. A 35-year-old woman was charged with one count of breach of recognizance. The accused was arrested on July 22 and later released on the subsequent charge. The original charge is a result of a drug investigation in April 2014. The accused was found to be in possession of suspected cocaine after a search warrant was executed at a M’Chigeeng residence.
