At 7:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, a Clearwater Traffic Services Member stopped a fully loaded tractor-trailer unit. The officer noticed Budweiser beer cans in a holder by the passenger seat within arms’ reach of the driver. Also, a bottle of Listerine was on the passenger seat, and the strong smell of mouthwash was emanating from the driver when he spoke. Signs of impairment were evident.
When the roadside screening device breath demand was read the driver refused to give a sample. His action resulted in his tractor unit being impounded for 30 days and his license being suspended for 90 days. A refusal is the same as an impaired charge.
It is a scary thought when one realizes that a fully loaded semi was traveling down our highways with a drunk behind the wheel.
Impaired by drugs
At approximately 1 p.m. on Sept. 22 a member of Clearwater Traffic Serviced stopped a vehicle in a road check on Highway 5 and Clearwater Valley Road. After detecting the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle the officer entered into a drug investigation. The 60-year-old female from Barriere was arrested and the vehicle searched. A small quantity of pot was located and seized.
While dealing with the driver it became evident that she had recently smoked up, and that marijuana was still in her system. She was brought back to the Clearwater RCMP Detachment where a series of psychophysical tests were conducted. That is a very specific set of sobriety tests designed to pick up signs of drug impairment.
The results of these tests showed that she was impaired by cannabis and was unable to operate a motor vehicle safely.
She now faces a charge under the Criminal Code of Canada for driving while impaired.
For some who feel that pot is not a dangerous drug and that it doesn’t affect a person, that person should use this as an example of what not to do. The point to ponder is: if the drug does not affect the way a person feels then why would anyone smoke it in the first place?
Mischief occurs on Highway 5
At 11 p.m. on Sept. 26 a trucker reported that someone had shot off fireworks aimed at his truck. The incident occurred north of Clearwater on Highway 5.
Luckily the burning pieces of phosphorous did not actually hit his truck. It could have been a very ugly situation if the driver had his windows down and some of the burning chemical got into his truck.
At 1 a.m. on Sept. 27 a trucker was northbound on Highway 5 near Miller Road when suddenly something struck the windshield of his semi. He stopped his rig and got out to investigate. It turns out that someone had thrown a pumpkin at this truck. At first this actually sounds a little humorous until it was ascertained that the pumpkin smashed his windshield. This is not only expensive, but also very dangerous. It would have been tragic if the driver had lost control and crashed over a childish prank.
It is suspected that the same immature individuals probably committed these incidents. If you have any information regarding these files, please contact the RCMP or Crimestoppers.
