Two charged after OPP find passed-out driver, drugs on Hwy. 17

An undated photo of an Ontario Provincial Police cruiser. (File image/Supplied/Bobb Barratt/Ontario Provincial Police)

Two men are facing multiple charges, including impaired driving and drug possession, after Ontario Provincial Police investigated a suspicious vehicle on a northern Ontario highway earlier this month.

OPP responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle parked on the shoulder of Highway 17 in Nairn-Hyman Township at about 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 4.

“Police attended the location and observed the driver to be passed out at the wheel,” OPP said in a news release Thursday.

Officers said the passenger was observed to be making sporadic movements.

OPP initiated an investigation and took the driver and passenger into custody.

A subsequent search located amounts of suspected cocaine and hydromorphone and two airsoft firearms.

Police said the estimated street value of the drugs seized was more than $800.

Multiple charges laid

As a result of the investigation, the driver, a 44-year-old man from Goulais River, was charged with:

• impaired driving,
• two counts of driving while under suspension,
• two counts of drug possession,
• two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and
• two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

Additionally, the passenger, a 59-year-old man from Sudbury, was charged with drug possession.

Furthermore, under provincial law, the driver also received a 90-day licence suspension and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days.

Both accused are scheduled to appear in court in Espanola on Nov. 17.

‘Make the call’

OPP officials reiterated the dangers of impaired driving, saying “no amount of alcohol or drugs in your system is safe while driving” and encouraged the public to report suspected impaired drivers.

“If you suspect an impaired driver on our roads, waterways or trails, don’t hesitate to ‘make the call’ and dial 911,” said police.

“Your phone call could save someone’s life.”