East Algoma OPP – Driver Charged with Impaired

On Sunday, June 8, 2025, at approximately 1:00 a.m., members of the East Algoma Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were conducting patrols in the Town of Thessalon when they observed a black pickup truck travelling westbound at a high rate of speed on Lakeside Drive.

A traffic stop was conducted on Highway 17 near Lakeside Drive. During the interaction with the driver, police determined that alcohol had been consumed. As a result, the driver was arrested and transported to the Thessalon detachment for further testing.

Gabriel MERRYLEES, 23 years-of-age from Echo Bay was charged with:

• Operation while impaired – alcohol
• Operation while impaired-blood alcohol concentration (80) plus

The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Elliot Lake on August 7, 2025.

The driver was issued a 90-day Administrative Drivers Licence Suspension, and the involved vehicle was impounded for 7days.

The OPP remains committed to ensuring our roads are safe from drug-impaired and alcohol-impaired drivers. Drivers who are impaired by drugs or alcohol continue to pose a significant threat on Ontario roads.

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OPP

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) provide policing services throughout Ontario. Our officers are responsible for policing over one million square kilometres of land and waterways. They provide frontline policing services to more than 320 Ontario municipalities and patrol over 126,000 kilometres of provincial roadways.

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