Monday, May 10th at 8:10 pm, Kings District RCMP responded to a call of a car that had crashed into the Midgell Cemetery on Route # 2 in Midgell.
Upon police arrival, members of the St. Peters and Morell Volunteer Fire Brigades were on scene along with an ambulance from Island EMS. The male driver of the vehicle had left the scene on foot.
It was evident that a small hatchback had crossed the roadway and careened through a six-inch post continuing to strike a few grave stones. In total, seven headstones were damaged - some beyond repair. Estimated costs to repair or replace the stones is between ten and fifteen thousand dollars. One of the demolished stones had been situated and in near perfect condition since 1937.
A short time later, police were able to locate the driver, a 51 year-old man from Kings County, walking along the Confederation Trail towards St Peters. He was detained on the scene and subsequently transported to the Montague RCMP Detachment where he provided two samples of his breath above the legal limit. He was released from custody facing impaired driving charges and scheduled to appear in Georgetown Provincial Court at a later date. He was also subject to a 90 day Driving Prohibition and his vehicle was impounded at his expense for 30 days.
It was very fortunate that no one was injured during this incident. A baseball team that had just finished up a practice in St Peters were travelling along the highway and their coaches were amongst the first people to have stopped to check on the driver.
RCMP are committed to keeping impaired drivers off the road. Should you suspect an impaired driver please call 911.