(HURON EAST, ON) – On February 5, 2011 at approximately 10:30 pm a Huron OPP officer was on patrol in Seaforth when a pickup truck with a burnt out headlight caught the officers’ attention. The officer activated his emergency lights and attempted to stop the truck but initially the driver failed to stop. The driver did stop his vehicle but then fled on foot into a field where he was apprehended by the officer. Upon speaking to the driver, who was now under arrest for Flight from Police, the officer detected a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage coming from the driver in addition to other signs of being impaired by alcohol. The male was escorted back to the cruiser and also arrested for Impaired Driving. A search of his vehicle turned up alcohol.
The driver was taken to the Exeter OPP Detachment where he met with a qualified Intoxilizer Technician to provide two samples of his breath. Both samples confirmed that he had a blood alcohol level in excess of the legal limit of 80 milligrams.
As a result of the traffic stop, Brandon MCGAVIN (19) of Walton has been charged with one count of Impaired Driving, one count of Drive With Over 80 Milligrams of Alcohol and one count of Flight from Police. He will answer to his charges in the Ontario Court of Justice – Goderich on March 28, 2011. His drivers licence has been suspended for 90 days and the vehicle he was operating has been towed and impounded for 7 days.