Despite the fact society frowns upon impaired driving, combined with an increased police presence at this time of the year seeking out impaired drivers, it appears some local folks didn’t get the memo.
Over the weekend, Chatham-Kent police charged multiple people for drinking and driving.
The first came Friday evening in Chatham. Police say an officer spotted a vehicle driving on Webb Street. The vehicle turned northbound and accelerated aggressively.
That earned the driver a traffic stop. The officer believed the man to be showing signs of impairment, police say.
The driver was taken to police headquarters for a breath test. He failed.
A 46-year-old Chatham man is charged with impaired driving.
Next up, just seven minutes after Friday night turned into Saturday morning, police pulled another vehicle over on Middle Line in Blenheim.
A roadside test registered a fail for the driver and he was taken to headquarters where he again failed his breath test.
As a result, a 27-year-old Raleigh Township man is charged with impaired.
Five minutes after that, and half a municipality away, police pulled over a vehicle on Margaret Avenue in Wallaceburg. C-K police received a tip from Sarnia police of a possible impaired driver.
Local officers located the vehicle and stopped it as it pulled into a driveway. Police say the driver tried to run into the residence, but the officers apprehended him before he could do so.
As police spoke with the man, the officers believed him to be impaired. He was taken back to headquarters for further testing, which police say he refused.
A 21-year-old Port Lambton man is charged with resisting a peace officer, failing to comply with a demand and driving while impaired by alcohol and drugs.
Fast forward to Saturday evening. Police investigated a single-vehicle accident on Erieau Road near Charing Cross.
Officers arrived on the scene about 7:15 p.m. to find the vehicle, but no driver.
A search of the area led police to find a man nearby suffering from visible injuries. Officers believed the man to be impaired.
The man was taken to hospital for treatment, where he also provided breath samples for police. They were failures.
A 25-year-old Charing Cross man is charged with impaired driving, failing to remain, failing to report an accident, and driving with open liquor.
