Woman faces charges after lying to police in ATV traffic stop in northern Ont.

An undated image of two Ontario Provincial Police ATVs with the provincial police crest and text indicating the vehicles belong to the provincial police's Snowmobile, ATV & Vessel Enforcement team. (Ontario Provincial Police/X)

A 29-year-old woman from Garden River First Nation is facing criminal and traffic charges after allegedly providing a false name to police during an ATV traffic stop last month.

On June 20 at about 2:21 p.m., an officer from Ontario Provincial Police’s Sault Ste. Marie detachment observed an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) travelling at a high speed on Highway 17 in Garden River First Nation. Police noted a rear passenger was not wearing a helmet.

“A traffic stop was conducted, where the driver provided a false name to the officer,” OPP said in a news release.

Further investigation revealed the driver’s true identity, along with a suspended licence under The Highway Traffic Act and court-ordered conditions prohibiting her from occupying the driver’s seat of any motor vehicle.

The accused was arrested and charged with personation with intent to avoid arrest, three counts of driving while under suspension, and failure to comply with an undertaking. She is scheduled to appear in court in Sault Ste. Marie on August 4 to answer the charges.

Additionally, the 32-year-old passenger also from Garden River First Nation was charged with riding without a helmet and permitting an unlicensed person to drive a motor vehicle and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.