Northern Ontario woman faces impaired, drug charges

A uniformed police officer conducts a traffic stop in this undated photo. (File photo/CTV News)

A 37-year-old woman is facing multiple charges, including impaired driving and drug possession, following an early morning incident in a Sault Ste. Marie parking lot last week.

The incident occurred on Oct. 30 at about 3:20 a.m. when 911 operators received a report of a suspicious driver in a parking lot of a business in the 600 block of Wellington Street West and officers were dispatched to the scene.

“Upon speaking with the driver, who was identified as the accused, officers developed grounds to believe their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by drugs,” the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said in a news release.

Police said officers conducted a standardized field sobriety test and the accused performed poorly and was then taken into custody.

During a search of her person, officers located a small quantity of suspected cocaine on the accused.

“Officers read the accused a demand for an evaluation by a drug recognition expert and the accused refused to comply,” said police.

As a result, the motorist was charged with impaired driving, refusal to comply with a demand, drug possession and driving without a licence.

In addition to the criminal charges, under provincial law, all motorists charged with refusing to comply with a demand face the same immediate sanctions as those charged with impaired driving. Therefore, the motorist also received a 90-day driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days.

The accused was released on an appearance notice and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 29.