THUNDER BAY – NEWS – The Thunder Bay Police Service Traffic Unit have made some startling morning traffic stops over the course of the past week, and in the process, has prevented potentially devastating consequences.
On February 5, 2020, at 10:40 am, a vehicle was stopped near Westgate High School for traveling 72 kilometers per hour in a posted 40 kilometer per hour community safety zone.
The driver had an infant seated in the back of the vehicle at the time of the incident. The officer detected the odour of freshly burnt cannabis emanating from the vehicle and subsequently demanded the driver submit to Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. The driver performed poorly on those tests and was arrested for impaired operation.
The accused was then brought to the Drug Recognition Evaluator (DRE) at the police station for further testing. After completion of the evaluation and a finding of impairment by the DRE, the driver was charged with impaired operation by cannabis. He was also charged with having cannabis readily accessible to him in the vehicle and speeding in a school zone. The driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle was impounded for 7 days.
On February 6, 2020, just after 9:00 am, one driver was found speeding over double the posted limit on a north-side roadway, while right after the noon hour, another driver was charged for traveling 49 kilometers over the posted limit near John Street. Both drivers were charged appropriately for their speeding offences.
On February 7, 2020, at 9:00 am, a driver was stopped near a north-end elementary school to check the individual’s sobriety.
The driver had just dropped their child off at school prior to the traffic stop. The driver was found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over the legal limit at the time of the stop and was subsequently arrested.
The accused was then brought to the police station for further breath testing, and was found to have a BAC over triple the legal limit. The driver was charged with impaired operation as well as exceeding the blood alcohol concentration limit. Just like the drug-impaired driver, this individual’s driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
The Thunder Bay Police Service would like to thank the public that adheres to the speed limits and drives while sober – your contributions make this community a safer place for everyone, especially our children. To those who choose to speed or drive while impaired, expect no tolerance from the police service.
