Car left at St. Thomas repair shop stopped by police - without the rightful owner in the driver’s seat

A St. Thomas Police cruiser, pictured October 9, 2024 (Bailey Shakyaver/CTV News London)

A car left at a St. Thomas repair shop was stopped by police – without its rightful owner in the driver’s seat.

According to St. Thomas police, at 1:40 a.m. on Thursday morning, they received a call about a vehicle that had fled a collision on Elm Street.

No injuries were reported in the collision, and a description of the vehicle provided by residents led police to initiate a traffic stop in the area of Wellington and Hincks Street.

Police say that the car did not immediately stop, however upon eventually pulling over, police determined that the 31-year-old driver was impaired and was not the rightful owner of the car.

The car had been dropped off at a local repair shop for maintenance and was to be driven for diagnostic and repair purposes, however it had been removed from the business without the owner’s consent.

The driver was found to have suspected cocaine on them and was operating the vehicle while impaired by alcohol at more than double the legal limit.

The novice driver now faces several charges in regards to the impaired operation, operation of the vehicle, flight from police, and the possession of illegal drugs.