Report of impaired driver leads to charges
On the evening of April 21, a member of the public reported to the Wikwemikong Police that a black Chevrolet Equinox was being operated within the community by a driver who may be impaired by alcohol.
Officers maintained observation for the vehicle and approximately two hours later met a black Equinox matching the description travelling southbound towards Manitowaning on Cardwell street.
A vehicle stop was conducted in the area of Highway 6 and Sucker Lake Road by the Wikwemikong officers who approached the SUV and observed a male driver and four passengers.
An OPP officer on duty arrived to assist the officers in the arrest of the driver who was then returned to the Wikwemikong detachment for the purposes of providing a breath sample.
The breath test results registered over the legal limit and as a result a 43-year-old-male was charged with operating a motor vehicle with over 80mgs of alcohol and failing to comply with his probation order.
The male, who is not a band member of Wikwemikong, appeared in Gore Bay court on April 22 and was remanded to appear in Gore Bay on Monday, April 25 for the purposes of a bail hearing.
Police seek assistance on assault
On Thursday, April 14 at approximately 11:30 pm, the Wikwemikong Tribal Police responded to an assist ambulance call at a residence on Mshaaboos Lane as a male had injuries to his head. Upon arrival, police found the ambulance assessing the 38-year-old male victim on scene and questioned him as to how the injuries were sustained. After speaking with the victim and witnesses available at the time, it was learned that the male had walked from a residence on Genevieve Street.
Police further learned that a weapon, namely a knife, may have been involved in causing the injuries.
Information received led police to a residence on Genevieve Street where further evidence was collected.
The injured adult male was transported and treated at the Manitoulin Health Centre for lacerations and was later released.
This investigation is ongoing and police are asking that should members of the public have any further information to please contact the Wikwemikong Tribal Police at 705 859-3141 or crime stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Espanola occurences
On April 5 at 12 pm, the Espanola Police Service received a complaint from a local retailer, advising that a male had just left the store without paying for a package of four bottles of compressed air used for cleaning computer keyboards; commonly referred to as ‘duster.’
Upon arrival, police viewed the store’s video surveillance, and recognized the male from previous police involvement as a 22-year-old Espanola man. A search of the area between the retail store and the male’s residence located him walking on Queensway St. where he was arrested for the offence of theft under $5,000. The four bottles of duster were not recovered, but based on the male’s demeanor, it was believed that he had inhaled the substance in a practice known as “huffing.”
As a result of the incident, the 22-year-old was charged with one count of Theft Under $5,000, and issued a promise to appear in Espanola Court on June 5 to answer to his charges.
On April 6 at 5:10 pm, the Espanola Police Service responded to a family dispute at a James Street residence involving two brothers.
Upon arrival, police were told that an ongoing dispute over the ownership of an Xbox controller resulted in one brother assaulting the other, causing an injury to the one brother’s nose. The brother who was the aggressor struck the other several times before taking the Xbox controller, which was not his property, and left the house.
A short time after the occurrence, the suspect turned himself in to the Espanola Police Service and was charged with one count of robbery for using violence while committing a theft. At the time of his offence he was under the influence of alcohol.
The 25-year-old Espanola resident will appear in court on June 7 to answer to his charge.
On April 13 at 2:30 pm, members of the Espanola Police Service were conducting stationary radar enforcement in the 40 km/h hospital zone along Queensway St. when they clocked a vehicle traveling at 65 km/h. When the officer stepped out to wave the vehicle over, the driver ignored the officer’s direction and continued on past, turning onto McKinnon Drive towards the hospital. The officers entered their cruiser, and managed to stop the vehicle in the rear parking lot of the hospital, near the entrance to the nursing home.
Upon speaking to the 78-year-old driver from Espanola, the officer smelled alcohol on his breath and pursuant to a demand, the officer obtained a sample of the driver’s breath into an approved screening device, which registered a “Fail.” Based on the reading, the officer arrested the driver for operation over 80 mgs and transported him to the police station where breath tests were conducted, providing blood alcohol readings of 96 mgs and 88 mgs of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. Due to the fact that both readings, once truncated, would not be over 80 mgs, the male was not charged with impaired operation, but still qualified him for a 90-day ADLS licence suspension and a vehicle impoundment for seven days. Further, he was charged with Careless Driving contrary to the Highway Traffic Act, as his level of impairment hindered his ability to operate a vehicle with due care and attention.
