(SOUTH HURON, ON) – A 53-year-old from Lucan is facing several charges stemming from an impaired driving incident that occurred last week.
At approximately 10:19 a.m. on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers were dispatched to patrol for a suspected impaired driver that was last seen travelling in a GMC pickup westbound on Dashwood Road. The witness also advised police the suspect vehicle had extensive front end damage possibly from a collision.
Not long after a Huron OPP officer spotted the suspect vehicle travelling northbound on Bluewater Veteran’s Highway. The investigating officer turned around and began to follow after the pickup truck. Prior to catching up to the suspect vehicle the driver of the suspect vehicle came to a stop where he proceeded to get out of his vehicle and began to urinate on the highway. Upon seeing the emergency lights of the approaching police vehicle the driver attempted to get back into his truck.
The officer was able to get the driver’s attention and while speaking with the male the officer noted the driver was displaying several signs of impairment. The driver was arrested and a search of the vehicle was conducted. Upon searching inside the vehicle police located some open containers of alcohol.
The driver was arrested for Impaired Driving and was transported to the Exeter OPP Detachment for breath tests. He subsequently provided two samples of his breath to a qualified Intoxilizer Technician and both of his samples registered over the legal limit.
Further investigation revealed the impaired driver rear-ended a transport truck at the intersection of Main Street and Thames Road. The suspect’s vehicle sustained a significant amount of front end damage whereas the transport was not damaged.
As a result, 53-year-old Paul GIESEN from Lucan has been charged with the following offences: Impaired Driving, Drive Motor Vehicle with Over 80 Milligrams of Alcohol, Careless Driving and Drive Motor Vehicle with Open Container of Alcohol.
He was later released from custody with an upcoming court appearance scheduled for February 22, 2018 at the Ontario Court of Justice – Exeter.