Tara Jeffrey
Lambton OPP officers had a busy Monday night this week, arresting four individuals for impaired driving.
Meanwhile, police say the first 15 days of the OPP Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign led to more than 120 impaired driving charges across the region.
On Monday, just before 5 p.m., police were called to a motor vehicle collision on Nauvoo Road near Courtright Line in the township of Brooke-Alvinston.
Police say the driver showed signs of impairment, and was taken to an OPP detachment where they provided two samples over the legal limit.
The driver, a 30-year-old from Plympton-Wyoming, faces impaired charges in is scheduled to appear in Sarnia court at a later date.
Around 10 p.m. a 36-year-old woman from Lambton Shores was stopped for speeding on Lakeshore Road near Ipperwash Road.
Police say a roadside screening device was administered and the driver was arrested for impaired and taken to a Lambton OPP detachment where they failed or refused to provide a breath sample.
The driver faces a charge of failure to comply with demand, and is scheduled to appear in Sarnia court at a later date.
Around 11 p.m., Lambton OPP officers spotted a vehicle being driven erratically after leaving a licensed establishment in Corunna, and initiated a traffic stop.
A roadside screening device was administered, the driver was arrested for impaired, and transported to a Lambton OPP detachment where they provided two samples over the legal limit.
A 64-year-old St. Clair Township man has been charged with impaired and is scheduled to appear in Sarnia court.
Just before midnight, OPP responded to a call-for-service involving a driver who had run out of fuel and was requesting assistance with their vehicle on Kimball Road.
“Alert call-takers at the OPP Provincial Communications Center - London (PCC-L) believed the caller was under the influence of intoxicating substances and notified responding officers,” police said. “Officers attended and, upon speaking with the driver, it became apparent the driver had consumed an alcoholic beverage and was displaying signs of impairment. The driver was arrested for impaired operation and transported to an OPP detachment where they provided two samples over the legal limit.”
A 31-year-old Chatham-Kent woman faces charges and is scheduled to appear in Sarnia court.
Meanwhile, more than 120 impaired driving charges were laid across the West Region in the first 15 days of the OPP’s RIDE campaign, officials say.
Between Nov.16 and Dec. 1, officers conducted 730 RIDE check events across 13 West Region detachments, resulting in 122 impaired driving charges and 14 warn-range suspensions.
Last year, in the first 15 days of the 2022 campaign, West Region OPP members laid 75 impaired charges and eight warn-range suspensions in 577 RIDE check events.
The Festive RIDE campaign is an annual police enforcement and education initiative aimed at taking impaired drivers off Ontario roads during the holiday season.
This year's OPP Festive RIDE Campaign runs from November 16, 2023, to January 1, 2024. During the campaign, the public can expect an increased OPP presence on West Region roads and highways as officers conduct RIDE initiatives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the province.