Sault man charged after crashing stolen vehicle: police

An undated photo of a Sault Ste. Marie Police Service officer inside a police vehicle. (File photo/Nathan Pardy/CanadaPolice.ca)

A 22-year-old Sault man is facing multiple criminal and traffic charges after local police say a predawn crash on McNabb Street evolved into a stolen-vehicle investigation last week.

Officers responded to the area of McNabb Street and Pentagon Boulevard at about 3:20 a.m. on July 17 following a 911 report of the single-vehicle crash.

“Officers were dispatched to the scene, where they located a vehicle that had struck a utility pole,” the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service said in a news release.

The driver, later identified as the accused, was initially charged with careless driving and failing to surrender his driver’s licence under the Highway Traffic Act.

Vehicle reported stolen hours later

The case took a different turn roughly five hours after the collision, as at around 8:20 a.m., the same vehicle involved in the crash was reported stolen from the 100 block of Churchill Boulevard.

“An investigation revealed the accused had stolen and crashed the vehicle earlier that morning,” police said.

Officers subsequently located the accused and took him into custody.

Additional charges laid

Following the investigation, the accused now faces criminal charges including theft of a motor vehicle, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and mischief over $5,000.

The accused was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 5.