THUNDER BAY – Crimebeat – The issue of individuals choosing to use alcohol in our city to endanger themselves and others is a major issue in Thunder Bay. Police officers arrest hundreds of people every year for over-indulging in alcohol or drugs. Driving while under the influence of alcohol continues to make headlines as well.
Thunder Bay Police report on several instances over the past several days; “Thunder Bay Police have arrested a 19 year old male for Impaired Driving, Drive Over 80 Mg’s of Alcohol, Fail to Stop for Police and Breach of Undertaking after observing a vehicle being driven erratically on Court Street at approximately 2:00AM on July 30, 2012.
When officers attempted to stop the vehicle it fled at a high rate of speed but eventually got held up by traffic at a red light on Cumberland and Water Streets where officers were able to prevent it from fleeing again. The driver was found to be on an Undertaking for a previous charge of Impaired Driving from January of this year which is still before the courts.
He has been held in custody to appear in video court.
On July 30, 2012, police report on a hit and run incident again involving an impaired driver. Police arrested a 21 year old male for impaired driving after investigating an overnight single motor vehicle collision on Simpson Street near the Venice Grill.
The driver was observed fleeing the scene on foot by witnesses and was apprehended by police on North May Street shortly after loosing control and striking metal sidewalk bells in the area. He has been charged with Impaired Driving, Driving with over 80mg’s of Alcohol in 100 ml’s of Blood, and also Fail to Remain at the scene of an accident. He will appear in court on a later date in September.
On July 29, 2012, there is another incident involving an impaired driver in a motor vehicle collision. Police responded to an motor vehicle collision at approximately 4:30AM at the Boulevard Lake dam. Upon arrival on scene, officers were met by Thunder Bay Fire Dept personnel who had already removed the two male occupants from the vehicle. It was determined that the 19 year old driver of the car had decided in his intoxicated state that he was going to take a short cut home by driving along the footpath through the park from Gibson Avenue to get to his residence on Adelaide Street. When the footpath narrowed the vehicle left the footpath and fell down a thirty foot embankment to the rocks below the dam.
Neither of the occupants was injured as a result, but the car was totally destroyed.
The driver has been charged with “Impaired Driving, Drive over 80 mg’s of Alcohol, Dangerous Driving and Possession of a Narcotic” and will appear in court on 4th September 2012.
Over the past three days, there were over one hundred incidents where police in our city responded to issues involving disorder complaints, alcohol complaints, or drug issues.