Martin BALODIS – Drunk Driving, Theft

(HURON COUNTY, ON) – A 62 year old male is in custody and facing several criminal charges following an incident that took place on April 8, 2014. Around 6:20 p.m. Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers responded to a theft that took place at the LCBO in Goderich. Investigation revealed a male had shoplifted a bottle of alcohol and left the store in a GMC pickup.

That same evening around 10:30 p.m. officers received information about a pickup truck that was parked in an odd manner near Airport Line and Rodgerville Road. A Huron OPP officer arrived on scene and observed the engine to be running with a lone male sleeping in the driver’s seat. Upon waking the driver the officer noticed the driver was displaying signs that he was impaired by alcohol.

The driver was arrested for Impaired Care & Control and was subsequently transported to the Exeter OPP Detachment where he provided two samples of his breath to a qualified Intoxilizer Technician; Both tests were above the legal limit.

Further investigation revealed the driver was the suspect from the earlier shoplifting incident in Goderich. The accused and the pickup were searched and the stolen bottle of alcohol was recovered. Officers then determined the pickup truck was a stolen vehicle from the City of Sarnia.

As a result, Martin BALODIS, 62, from Scarborough has been charged with: Impaired Care & Control, Care & Control – Over 80 Milligrams of Alcohol, Theft Over $5,000, Theft Under $5,000 and Possession of Stolen Property.

He remains in custody with a bail hearing scheduled for the Ontario Court of Justice – Goderich on April 11, 2014.

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