THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Police needed two pages to produce a media release outlining the impaired driving cases they had dealt with over the course of just one week.
With more officers undergoing training in preparation for the legalization of cannabis, police cautioned drivers on Monday that they can expect even greater vigilance for impaired driving caused by drugs.
Seven people were charged in a series of incidents between Sept. 8 and Sept. 16, including one individual who was charged on two separate occasions.
The 63-year-old man was first arrested after officers investigated a report of a man passed out in his vehicle in an Edward Street church parking lot. He was also charged for being in possession of four different types of drugs.
Only days later, the same person was found behind the wheel of a car parked in an Arthur Street restaurant parking lot. He was again arrested for having care and control of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.
A hit-and-run incident on Robinson Drive in the Grandview area of the city on Sept.11 resulted in officers identifying the suspect's vehicle as he was travelling in front of St. Bernard School just as children were being let out for the day.
A 34-year-old was charged with numerous criminal offences including impaired driving and possession of a controlled substance.
In another incident, an 18-year-old motorist was charged for being drug-impaired after a vehicle struck parked cars and utility poles on May Street South. Police also identified him as being involved in a street-racing incident earlier in the week, so he was charged with stunt driving.
