RCMP: Drug and alcohol use while driving leads to arrests/prohibitions
By Trail Champion
The New Year has seen Trail police dealing with many substance-related traffic calls, with nine instances in the past two weeks alone, according to Acting Sgt. Devon Reid. He said the list of files is as follows:
On Jan. 20, at 12:26 p.m. the Trail and Greater District Detachment RCMP received a call of a suspicious vehicle on Casino Road with the horn blaring. Police attended and discovered the driver, a 36-year-old male from Castlegar, was under the influence of drugs while operating the vehicle. As a result of the investigation, the driver was issued a licence suspension, the vehicle was impounded and a small amount of cocaine was seized from the vehicle.
On Jan. 22, Trail and Greater District RCMP pulled over a vehicle for a minor traffic infraction and discovered that the driver was prohibited from driving. The driver, a 46-year-old male from Salmo, was charged with Driving While Prohibited and will have his initial appearance in Rossland Provincial court on April 2, 2020. The vehicle was impounded for seven days as a result of the investigation as well.
On Jan. 24, at 12:15 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP pulled over a vehicle that was driving erratically on Hwy 3B near Marcolin Drive in Trail. The driver, a 37-year-old female from Trail, was found to be impaired by alcohol and there was open liquor in the vehicle. The driver was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of her driver’s licence and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
On Jan. 24, at 11:21 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report of a collision where a vehicle hit a power pole in Genelle, damaging both the vehicle and the power pole. The subsequent investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle, a 28-year-old male from Genelle, was operating the vehicle while impaired by alcohol. The driver was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of his driver’s licence and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
On Jan. 25, at 7:06 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP were conducting a check stop in Rossland and the driver of one of the vehicles checked was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The driver, a 41 year old male from Rossland, was issued a three-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition of his driver’s licence. The vehicle was not impounded, but left parked legally to be picked up by a sober driver.
On Jan. 27, at 3:27 a.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle for speeding in down town Trail. During the traffic stop, police discovered that the driver, a 36-year-old male from Trail, was in possession of illicit drugs that were suspected to be methamphetamine and fentanyl. The male was arrested and later released for a first appearance in Rossland Provincial Court on April 30, 2020. The male was aso issued a 24 hour Driver’s Licence suspension under the Motor Vehicle act as he was under the influence of an illicit substance at the time of driving.
On Jan. 28, at 10:18 p.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle for a burnt out headlight in Fruitvale. During the traffic stop, police determined that the driver of the vehicle, a 42-year-old male from the East Kootenays, was a prohibited driver. The male was arrested and later released for a first appearance in Rossland Provincial Court on April 30, 2020. The vehicle did not have any insurance and was in disrepair, so the driver was also issued a Violation Ticket for no insurance and the vehicle was impounded, pending an inspection by a certified repair facility.
On Feb. 1, at 4:30 p.m, Trail and Greater District RCMP received a report of a vehicle that was involved in a single vehicle collision near Glover Road in Trail. Police investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle, a 30-year-old male from Trail, was under the influence of illicit drugs and was prohibited from driving. The male was issued a 24-hour Driver’s Licence Prohibition and was arrested and later released for a first appearance date in Rossland Provincial Court on April 30, 2020. The vehicle was damaged to the point where it was not operational and was towed from the scene.
On Feb. 3, at 10:21 a.m., Trail and Greater District RCMP stopped a vehicle to investigate and offence of littering. During the traffic stop, the driver of the vehicle, a 20-year-old male from Rossland, was found to be under the influence of alcohol while driving. The male was issued a three-day Immediate Roadside Driver’s Licence Suspension under the Motor Vehicle Act.
