It helped Lumby RCMP that the suspected thief in a stolen car incident they had been seeking was found passed out across a roadway.
Police report a Cherryville resident left his vehicle running outside the Cherryville Emporium while he went inside to buy cigarettes.
When he came out, his car – a Toyota Camry – had been stolen.
Officers spent the better part of the day attempting to locate the vehicle, which was eventually discovered parked at Celia’s Restaurant on Highway 6 in Cherryville.
“The driver left the scene on foot and was located by police, in an extremely intoxicated state, passed out across the road,” said Lumby RCMP Cpl. Henry Proce.
The driver had been prohibited from driving, so is facing that criminal charge along with theft of the car.
Proce said circumstances would not allow police to lay a further charge of impaired driving.
“This accused represented an extreme hazard on the public roads,” said Proce. “The vehicle hit the ditch at least once and is no longer road-worthy. The fact that the driver and innocent users of the road were not killed is extremely fortunate.”
