(NORTH BAY) – A Sturgeon Falls resident is facing multiple charges after an automated license plate recognition alert led Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers to conduct a traffic stop in North Bay.
On Tuesday, February 27, 2026, at approximately 3:00 p.m., a member of the North Bay OPP Traffic Incident Management Enforcement (TIME) team received an Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) alert for a vehicle displaying an expired temporary validation tag. The officer stopped the vehicle as it entered a business parking lot on Main Street West.
During the traffic stop, the officer detected an odour of cannabis coming from the vehicle. A search of the vehicle was conducted under the Cannabis Control Act, which led to the seizure of drug paraphernalia, a small quantity of suspected crystal methamphetamine, and an open, half‑filled can of alcohol. Based on observations of impairment, the driver was issued a Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST) demand, which they subsequently refused.
As a result of the investigation, Brigitte COTE, 39 years of age, of Sturgeon Falls, has been charged with:
· Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs
· Failure or refusal to comply with demand
· Possession of a Schedule I substance – Methamphetamine
· Driving a motor vehicle with open container of liquor
· Use plate not authorized for vehicle
· Diving while under suspension
· Drive motor vehicle, no permit
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on April 7, 2026. The driver was also issued a 90‑day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension (ADLS), and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
The OPP reminds motorists that refusing to comply with a lawful demand, such as a breath test, or SFST, carries the same criminal consequences as an impaired driving conviction, including immediate roadside suspensions, vehicle impoundment, fines, and potential jail time.