Sarnia Police Service officials allege: Two drivers are facing impaired driving charges following separate overnight incidents in Sarnia early Sunday morning.
In the first incident, police were called at about 1:03 a.m. on Jan. 25 after a 9-1-1 caller reported a vehicle jumping a curb and driving along the sidewalk in the area of Colborne Road and Berkshire Road. A witness told police the male driver exited the vehicle and walked away before a female passenger got behind the wheel and drove the vehicle into a nearby parking lot.
Officers arrived and found tire tracks leading off the roadway and fresh damage to the vehicle’s front bumper. While police were examining the vehicle, a 32-year-old woman from Orchard Avenue approached officers and showed signs of impairment by alcohol. She was arrested and later provided breath samples of 150 and 140 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, nearly twice the legal limit.
The original male driver was not located. The woman was charged with impaired operation and operating with a blood-alcohol concentration over .08. She was released on an appearance notice to attend court at a later date. Her vehicle was impounded for seven days and her driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days under the Highway Traffic Act.
About an hour later, at approximately 2:08 a.m., an officer travelling southbound on Murphy Road observed a blue vehicle attempting to re-enter the roadway after striking a traffic light at the intersection of Murphy Road and Wellington Street. The vehicle stopped when police approached, and officers spoke with the driver, who was the sole occupant.
After observing signs of alcohol impairment, police arrested the 21-year-old driver, who is from Brantford. He later provided two breath samples of 180, more than twice the legal limit. Bluewater Power attended the scene to carry out immediate repairs to the damaged traffic lights.
The driver was charged with impaired driving and operating with a blood-alcohol concentration over .08. He was released on a police undertaking to appear in court. His vehicle was impounded for seven days and his licence suspended for 90 days.
