RCMP officers across the province patrolled the roads over the Labour Day Weekend and arrested five individuals for impaired driving offences.
On Friday, just before 5:00 p.m., Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP received a report of a suspected impaired driver. Police located the described vehicle on the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) west of Red Cliff and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, a 53-year-old Triton man, showed signs of impairment and was arrested for impaired driving by alcohol. He was transported to the detachment and provided breath samples that were over the legal limit. The man was ticketed for having open alcohol in his truck and operating an unregistered vehicle.
At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP responded to a disturbance at a business in Bishop's Falls. One of the individuals involved in the disturbance left in a vehicle and was located by police a short time later. A traffic stop was conducted and the driver, a 39-year-old woman of Nova Scotia, showed signs of alcohol impairment. She was arrested and transported back the detachment where she provided breath samples that were more than one and a half times the legal limit. The woman was ticketed for having both open alcohol and open cannabis within her vehicle.
Later that evening, at approximately 10:20 p.m., Burgeo RCMP received a report of a suspected impaired driver. Police located the described vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, a 37-year-old Burgeo man, showed signs of alcohol impairment and was arrested for impaired driving. He later provided breath samples that were nearly twice the legal limit.
On Sunday evening, at approximately 5:15 p.m., Port Saunders RCMP was dispatched to a single vehicle motor vehicle collision in Savage Cove. The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, a 70-year-old man, was transported to the local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. He showed signs of alcohol impairment and was arrested for impaired driving after receiving medical treatment. He was transported to the detachment but refused to provide breath samples. In addition to impaired driving, the man also faces a charge of refusing to provide a breath sample.
Shortly before 5:00 p.m. on Monday evening, Holyrood RCMP received a report of a suspected impaired driver on the TCH near Foxtrap. An officer with Traffic Services East located the described vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver, a 68-year-old Kingston man, showed signs of alcohol impairment. He was arrested and transported to the detachment where he provided breath samples that were just under three times the legal limit.
All five drivers received driver's licence suspensions and their vehicles were seized and impounded. Each were released from custody and are set to appear in court at later dates where they will face impaired driving charges.
RCMP NL continues to fulfill its mandate to protect public safety, enforce the law, and ensure the delivery of priority policing services in Newfoundland and Labrador.