NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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BLIND RIVER - On Sept. 12, 2018, shortly after 8 a.m., members from the East Algoma Ontario Provincial Police responded to a possible impaired driver that had just left a local coffee shop in the Town of Blind River.
Investigation determined a silver car struck a waste container and a wall at the local coffee shop. The car left the scene driving the wrong direction on Lawton Avenue and was said to be parked on Riverside Avenue.
The vehicle was not located in Blind River and shortly before 8:30 a.m., police observed a vehicle matching the description eastbound on Highway 17 and attempted a vehicle stop with negative results. The vehicle continued on and was located with no occupants inside by members of the OPP Emergency Response Team on Woodland Drive on the Territory of Serpent River First Nation. Approximately 30 minutes later police located the male driver and an arrest was made. The driver was read a breath demand to which he refused.
The car was searched and police located 29 cartons of unmarked cigarettes valued at more than $1100 in the trunk of the vehicle.
The male was lodged until sober and his vehicle impounded for seven days.
As a result of the investigation, Jason Hines, 45 years of age from York, Ontario was charged with:
- Drive while ability impaired, contrary to section 253(1)(a) of the Criminal Code (CC);
- Fail or refuse to provide breath sample, contrary to section 254(5) of the CC;
- Fail to stop for police, contrary to section 216, of the Highway Traffic Act (HTA);
- Fail to report accident, contrary to section 199(1) of the HTA;
- Possession of unmarked cigarettes, contrary to section 29(2) of the Tobacco Tax Act (TTA); and with
- Possession of unmarked cigarettes for the purpose of sale, contrary to section 29(1) of the TTA.
The accused will appear before the Ontario Court of Justice Video Bail Court in Blind River on Oct. 6, 2018.
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