(NORTH HURON, ON) – A decision to drive with a set of defaced licence plates proved to be a huge blunder for a local man from Bluewater. Yesterday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. a Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer observed a Dodge Ram pickup truck travelling on Hamilton Street in Blyth. The officer noticed the attached passenger style licence plates that are blue in colour had been defaced to resemble commercial plates that are black in colour.
The officer activated his emergency equipment and watched as the driver parked in the parking lot of a local business. The driver and passenger quickly exited the truck and proceeded into the store. Within seconds the officer was able locate the driver and they returned to the truck.
The driver identified himself and it was determined by the officer the driver was currently suspended from driving. The driver was placed under arrest for Driving While Suspended and a search incident to arrest revealed the driver was in Possession of an Illegal Drug – (Crystal Methamphetamine). Further checks on the driver revealed he was bound by a condition of a previous release to abstain from possessing drugs. Additional checks on the vehicle revealed the pickup truck was not insured and the attached defaced licence plates were not authorized for the vehicle.
As a result, the 22 year old driver, Dustin BEDARD from Bluewater was arrested and taken into custody. He has been charged with the following offences: Possession of a Schedule I Substance – Methamphetamine, Fail to Comply with Undertaking, Drive While Under Suspension, Use Plate Not Authorized for Vehicle, Deface Plate, Operate Unsafe Vehicle, and Drive Motor Vehicle Without Insurance. He has since been released from custody with a court appearance scheduled for June 25, 2015 at the Ontario Court of Justice – Exeter.