(PERTH EAST, ON) – On February 5, 2023, at approximately 11:35 a.m., Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a vehicle stuck in the ditch on Road 130 in the Township of Perth East. Police arrived and the truck had been pulled out. A short distance away, police located the vehicle and the driver on Road 122.
Upon speaking with the driver, the officer had reason to believe the driver was impaired by a drug. The driver was subsequently arrested and transported to a local operations centre for a Drug Recognition Evaluation.
As a result, James SMITJES, 57, of Perth East, has been charged with:
– Operation while Impaired – alcohol and drugs
A 90-day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension (A.D.L.S.) and a 7-day Vehicle Impoundment was initiated as per statute. The accused is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Stratford at a later date to answer to the charges.
If you suspect someone is driving while their ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired, either by drug or alcohol, call police at 911 to report it.