Alert from automated licence plate reader leads to arrest of impaired driver

The dimly lit interior of a vehicle is seen in this undated stock image. (revac film's & photography/Pexels.com)

A man from Guelph is facing several charges thanks to the Guelph Police Service’s automated licence plate reader.

An officer was patrolling the Speedvale Avenue West area when her cruiser’s automated licence plate reader flagged a vehicle associated with a suspended driver.

The officer followed the vehicle onto Woolwich Street, where she watched it pass several other vehicles that had pulled over for an ambulance.

When the driver turned into a parking lot, the officer initiated a traffic stop. She said the driver acted erratically and had trouble focusing on the conversation. A used glass pipe was also spotted in the vehicle’s centre console.

The man was arrested for impaired operation of a vehicle, as well as having suspected crystal methamphetamine and three more contaminated pipes, which were found during a search.

A 41-year-old Guelph man has been charged with impaired operation, refusing to comply with a demand, possessing a controlled substance, two counts of breaching a probation order and several Highway Traffic Act violations. His licence was suspended for 90 days and the vehicle, which belonged to a friend, was impounded for seven days.