By CHIEF ROBERT DUTTCHEN, Corman Park Police Service
In the evening hours of March 23, a CPPS member was dispatched to a report of a suspicious person on Highway 11. Upon arrival, the officer located an adult male in medical distress from a lower body injury. The male was transported to Royal University Hospital, where he was left in the care of medical staff.
On the afternoon of March 25, CPPS officers were patrolling near Highway 16 when RCMP dispatch broadcast a description of a vehicle that had fled from a member. CPPS located a vehicle matching the description, travelling at 142 km/h in a posted 110 km/h zone. A traffic stop was initiated, and the vehicle did not attempt to flee. After liaising with the RCMP, officers were unable to positively identify the vehicle as the same one that had fled earlier. As a result, the driver was issued an offence notice for speeding and released at the scene.
On March 26, CPPS received a complaint about vehicles racing on Highway 16. While searching for the vehicles involved, the call was updated to report a possible road rage incident in which one vehicle was allegedly throwing objects at another and giving chase. Officers located both vehicles and stopped them at the Langham scale. The driver of the second vehicle was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and issued an offence notice for throwing an object at another vehicle.
At approximately 9:00 p.m. the same evening, CPPS responded to a report of a commercial vehicle rollover. Upon arrival, officers found a B-train truck carrying lumber that had overturned on Highway 16 near Mierau Road. The driver sustained minor injuries and was found to be in violation of hours-of-service regulations. The driver claimed that another vehicle had cut him off, causing the crash.
However, accounts from two independent witnesses contradicted this explanation. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges for both the driver and the company may be forthcoming.
Around 7:00 p.m. on March 28, the RCMP reported a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed northbound on Highway 11. As the RCMP member was unable to safely initiate a stop, the vehicle’s description was broadcast to nearby units. A CPPS officer located the vehicle travelling 133 km/h in the 110 km/h zone. A stop was conducted, resulting in an offence notice for speeding and a written warning for failure to produce vehicle registration.
Later that evening, CPPS units were dispatched to a weapons complaint at the Dakota Dunes Casino. As the nearest available unit, a CPPS member responded outside the RM to assist the responding RCMP officers. Fortunately, the call was determined to be unfounded.
Shortly after midnight on March 29, a CPPS officer on patrol stopped a vehicle with a broken tail lamp on Grasswood Road. The driver was found to be the subject of an outstanding warrant and was exhibiting signs of drug impairment. The officer made a demand for an oral fluid sample, but despite multiple requests, the driver refused to comply. The driver was arrested for failure to comply with an oral fluid demand, the vehicle was impounded for 60 days, and the driver received an indefinite licence suspension. The suspect was transported to Saskatoon RCMP cells and lodged until release.
Around the dinner hour on March 30, CPPS officers conducted a traffic stop to ensure passengers in the rear of a minivan were wearing seatbelts. During the stop, the officer formed the opinion that the driver was impaired by drugs and made a demand for an oral fluid sample. The driver tested positive for THC and received a 21-day licence suspension for a second offence.