In less than twelve hours two impaired drivers were removed from our roadways in and near Kimberley. Both the incidents are somewhat different from the norm.
Police Dog locates impaired driver
A police dog tracked and located a driver near Wasa last night after he tried to avoid apprehension by police. Kimberley RCMP received a call just before 10:00 pm about a vehicle near Wasa on highway 93/95 that was being driven in an erratic manner. Officers from Kimberley and Cranbrook headed to the area. The caller was able to maintain visual contact on the vehicle but it stopped and just prior to police arriving the driver walked off. A police dog was called, the team attended and was able to locate a track and find the driver hiding in the bush. Based on the witness account and observations by the officer, an impaired driving investigation was initiated. He read the breath demand, but the driver refused to supply a breath sample. The driver (49) from Cranbrook is now prohibited from driving for 90 days and his vehicle impounded for 30 days. “This was a good example of a concerned citizen working closely with police to remove a potentially dangerous driver from for our roadways. The excellent team work by the officers in particular our Police Dog team lead to the successful apprehension of the driver”, says Cpl. Chris Newel of Kimberley RCMP.
Speeding takes another driver off the road.
Five children were found in a vehicle stopped for speeding and the driver was found under the influence of alcohol. Just after 8:00 am June 17, 2015 a Cranbrook RCMP officer operating an unmarked vehicle noted a vehicle traveling well above the posted speed limit on highway 95A. The officer stopped the vehicle and while dealing with the driver noted signs of alcohol consumption. He read the breath demand and the driver supplied a breath sample which resulted in a WARN. The instrument indicates a warn when the blood alcohol level is between 50 and 100 mgs. The driver was served a 3-day Notice of Prohibition. Police were surprised to find five children in the vehicle being driven to school. Police made arrangements with the school administrative staff to get the children safely to their classes. “Speeding and alcohol are never a good mix; in this case it put the children at risk. It’s sad to see this kind of behavior still taking place”, says Cpl Chris Newel, Kimberley RCMP.