A 35-year-old man from Arnstein, Ont., is facing multiple charges, including impaired driving, following a single-vehicle crash on Highway 522 on Friday that police say escalated into a confrontation with paramedics. Ontario Provincial Police, Parry Sound District Paramedic Services and the Argyle Fire Department responded to a 911 call reporting the crash near Olivers Road at about 5:10 p.m. on Aug. 14. Impairment suspected “The caller reported that a driver had crashed a vehicle and suspected the driver was impaired,” OPP said in a news release Tuesday. Paramedics arrived before police and began transporting the driver for medical assessment. Combative behaviour “During transport, the driver reportedly became combative with paramedics, threatened emergency personnel, damaged ambulance equipment and threw an object at a paramedic,” OPP said. Police located and arrested the individual, who was then taken to a local hospital. “Further testing was conducted at the hospital,” the OPP stated. Multiple charges laid The accused was charged with assault, assault with a weapon, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, mischief and dangerous operation of a vehicle, along with two impaired driving offences – including operation with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. In addition to the charges, the man received a 90-day driver’s licence suspension and the involved vehicle was impounded for seven days. He was held in custody pending a bail hearing in North Bay. Warning from first responders The incident prompted reminders and warnings from provincial police and paramedics. “OPP and Parry Sound District Paramedic Services remind the public that violence, threats and aggressive behaviour toward first responders will not be tolerated.”
