Red Deer RCMP charged eight impaired drivers during checkstops and roving patrols on the weekend, and another couple face multiple charges after colliding with another vehicle while attempting to flee a checkstop in a stolen car.
The collision occurred on Dec. 3rd at 9:30 p.m. when a man driving a red Nissan Sentra fled an RCMP checkstop set up at the 67th St. bridge and then struck a white Toyota Rav 4 in the area of 71st St. and Gaetz Avenue. The suspect Sentra fled the collision scene and hit a parked car-hauler trailer, at which point the male driver and female passenger abandoned the Sentra and fled on foot.
EMS and fire staff attended the collision scene, and the 35-year-old male driver of the Toyota Rav 4 vehicle was taken to hospital and treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police Dog Services tracked the suspects to the Aladdin Hotel, where RCMP took them into custody without incident. The male driver and female passenger were both taken to hospital to be assessed for injuries sustained in the collision; the woman was released and the man remains in hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The red Sentra had been reported stolen out of Red Deer the morning of Dec. 1st.
A 31-year-old Red Deer man will face charges of obstruction, two counts of failing to remain at the scene of a collision, two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and possession of stolen property and several Traffic Safety Act charges.
A 44-year-old Red Deer woman faces charges of failing to remain at the scene of a collision and failing to comply with a recognizance. Their names will not be released at this time as the charges have not yet been sworn before the courts.
Roving patrols by RCMP on Dec. 2nd resulted in four drivers being charged with impaired driving, five being charged for driving without insurance, one for producing an invalid insurance card, and several more for license plate infractions.
The Saturday night checkstop resulted in four drivers being charged with impaired driving; in addition, two novice drivers received 30-day license suspensions and had the vehicles they were driving seized for seven days as a result of having any amount of alcohol in their systems, and one driver whose blood alcohol was between .05 and .08 had their license suspended for three days and their vehicle seized for three days.
Another driver had their license suspended for 24 hours for driving under the influence of marijuana, and police seized a small amount of marijuana from the vehicle.
RCMP will continue to operate checkstops and roving patrols throughout the holiday season in search of impaired drivers, in accordance with Red Deer’s Annual Policing Plan commitment to safer roads.
– Fawcett
