(HOWICK, ON) – A 53 year old driver of an all-purpose riding lawn tractor was arrested and charged this past weekend after he failed to provide a breath sample to the investigating officer. On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at approximately 4:00 p.m. a Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer came across a large lawn tractor travelling northbound on Gorrie Line near Gorrie. The officer was able to identify the driver of the tractor and he had prior knowledge the driver was prohibited from driving. Just as the officer approached the tractor to complete a traffic stop the tractor driver veered off the roadway into a freshly plowed field.
The officer was able to catch up to the tractor and he was able to order the driver off of the John Deere lawn tractor. Upon speaking with the driver the officer detected the odour of alcohol on the driver’s breath. A demand for the roadside screening device was made however the driver refused to provide a roadside sample.
As a result, the driver was placed under arrest and transported to the Huron OPP Detachment. Police also learned the driver was currently bound by court conditions of a previous court release to not consume alcohol.
Murray THORNTON, 53 years of age, from Howick has been charged with Drive Disqualified, Refuse to Provide Breath Sample and Fail to Comply with Undertaking. He has since been released from custody with a scheduled court appearance on June 15, 2015 at the Ontario Court of Justice – Goderich.
He was served with an automatic 90 day driver’s licence suspension and the tractor was impounded for an automatic 45 days.