Manitoulin OPP – Charges laid after Collision

On January 2, 2021, at approximately 5:39 p.m. members from the Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Sudbury-Manitoulin Emergency Services (EMS) and Whitefish Falls Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle collision on Highway 6, south of Espanola.

Police learned the vehicle was the subject of a previous driving complaint. Upon speaking to the driver, police also determined driver to be under the influence of a drug. The driver was arrested and brought for further investigation to Espanola detachment.

A Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) investigation was completed and as a result, the driver Larry FOWLER, 31-years-old, of Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation Reserve was charged with:

·        Operation While Impaired – Alcohol and Drugs, contrary to section 320.14(1)(a) of the Criminal Code (CC),

·        Dangerous Operation, contrary to section 320.13(1) of the CC,

·        Possession of a Schedule 1 Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking- Other Drugs, contrary to section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA), and

·        Possession of a Schedule 1 Substance – Opioid (Other Than Heroin), contrary to section 4(1) of the CDSA.

The accused was released on an Undertaking and is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice on March 1, 2021, in Espanola.

The accused was issued a 90-day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension (ADLS) and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.

OPP