RCMP nab impaired drivers over weekend
By Contributor
Police officers with the Grand Forks RCMP were kept busy this weekend removing impaired drivers from the road.
Midnight impairment
The first was Friday night, February 9th around midnight when officers noted a truck travelling at a high rate of speed on Central Avenue near 5th Street only ‘slamming’ on the brakes for a red at the last second. The vehicle was stopped, and the driver, a 39 year old man from Alberta showed numerous signs of impairment. The driver provided a sample of breath road side resulting in a Fail reading. The driver was issued a 90 day driving prohibition and has had his vehicle impounded for 30 days.
Young driver issued three-day suspension
Less then 2 hours later at 1:55 AM on February 10, another vehicle was stopped on Central Avenue near Boundary Road. The driver, a 21 year old man from Vernon, was given a road side breath test resulting in a Warn reading, meaning his alcohol level was somewhere between 50 mg% and 99 mg%, with the legal limit being 80 mg%. As a result, the driver was given a 3 day driving prohibition and had his vehicle impounded for 3 days. On top of that, the driver was issued violation tickets for failing to display his ‘N’ sign and driving contrary to his restrictions (no alcohol).
Under influence of drugs
On Sunday evening, February 11 at 9:15 PM, a vehicle was stopped on Central Avenue near 3rd Street. The officer detected a strong odor of cannabis and suspected that the driver, a 34 year old man from Grand Forks, may be driving under the influence of drugs. The officer requested a second officer, trained in a roadside technique called, Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, to which the driver performed poorly and was issued a 24 hour driving prohibition. From this result, the officers elevated their investigation and brought in a Drug Recognition Expert with the BC Highway Patrol. From this evaluation, it was suspected that the driver was impaired via cannabis, and the driver had blood samples seized for further analysis by RCMP Forensic Labs. The results from labs will determine if police recommend charges of Impaired Driving (by drugs).
“All three of these investigations were by officers just out on patrol who are ensuring our roads are kept safe for everyone,” states Detachment Commander, Sergeant Darryl Peppler.
“While we know that the RCMP and many other agencies are getting the word out on the dangers of driving while impaired, we know there is still much work to do, and we are definitely committed to doing so.”
