By CHIEF ROBERT DUTTCHEN
Corman Park Police Service
This week’s report includes an unusually high number of impaired-driving files — a reminder of just how often our members respond to drug- and alcohol-related calls on rural highways.
In the early afternoon of July 5, Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) received a call from the Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) about a vehicle fire in the vicinity of Highway 14 and Range Road 3064. On arrival, SFD was at the scene along with Medavie Ambulance and the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), joined shortly after by the RCMP. Fire crews had located a 78-year-old male suffering from severe burns near the vehicle. As the circumstances of the fire and the man’s injuries were not immediately clear, and given the location, SPS determined they would take carriage of the investigation. The victim was transported to hospital in critical condition.
That same evening, CPPS stopped a vehicle in the vicinity of Grasswood Road and Highway 219 in relation to its manner of driving. At the roadside, the officer formed the opinion that the driver was impaired by drugs, and an oral fluid demand was made. The sample returned a positive result for the presence of cocaine. The vehicle was impounded for three days and the driver was issued a three-day licence suspension.
Later that same evening, CPPS stopped a vehicle in the vicinity of Highway 219 and Circle Drive. The driver was an unsupervised learner with a child in the car. All learner drivers are bound by a zero BAC restriction, and this driver registered a BAC of 38 mg%. Because of the repeat and multiple nature of the offences, the driver was issued a 120-day licence suspension, and the vehicle was impounded for 60 days.
On the evening of July 6, CPPS stopped a Chrysler 300 in the vicinity of Highway 219 and Grasswood Road. The driver did not have a valid licence and was found to be under the influence of cocaine. As a result, the vehicle was impounded for three days and the driver was issued a 60-day driving prohibition. As the driver had never held a licence and was already suspended at the time, this penalty extends his ineligibility for driving privileges by a further 60 days from the date of this incident.
Around the dinner hour of July 8, RCMP broadcast a request for Remotely Piloted Aerial System (RPAS), or drone, assistance in relation to a stolen vehicle rollover with outstanding suspects who had fled from the Big River area. At the time, the only available drone was CPPS’s. As a result, I authorized CPPS to attend and assist the RCMP in locating the suspects. The drone arrived at the scene and conducted an area search, and the two outstanding suspects were located and taken into custody. In order for CPPS to operate effectively, we rely on an excellent working relationship with the RCMP. Often, we require their assistance, and they give it willingly and professionally, time after time. Allowing our officers to leave the RM to support them is never a decision taken lightly, but in this instance I felt our RPAS could help locate the suspects and allow us to be a value-add to the RCMP.
Later that same evening, CPPS responded to a report of a suspicious person — a male lying in the roadway — near Range Road 3055 and Township Road 362. On arrival, the male was located lying on the road, shirtless and intoxicated, having covered himself with a blanket, in real danger of being struck by a vehicle. He was taken into custody and held at the Saskatoon RCMP detachment until sober.
Around 1:00 pm on July 11, CPPS conducted an area search regarding a manner-of-driving complaint broadcast by the RCMP and located the vehicle in the vicinity of Highway 41 and Range Road 3043. The complaint was quickly confirmed: a quantity of open liquor, cannabis, a THC vape pen, and a positive oral fluid test for cocaine were all present at the roadside. The occupants were issued multiple offence notices in relation to the alcohol and cannabis. The driver received a 21-day licence suspension, and the vehicle was impounded for 21 days.
Later that afternoon, CPPS and the Saskatoon RCMP responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle near the Patience Lake mine, located just off Highway 5. During the investigation, the driver was found to be operating the vehicle while impaired by a drug, after performing poorly on a roadside Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST). A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun tucked into the vehicle’s interior, and all four occupants were arrested at the scene while the investigation unfolded. A 50-year-old man later claimed ownership of the firearm; because he is prohibited from possessing any firearm under an existing prohibition order, he now faces multiple firearms charges. He was transported by the Saskatoon RCMP to their detachment, where he was processed and remanded into custody to await an appearance before a Hearing Officer. The driver, another male occupant, was determined to be impaired by a controlled drug — his licence was suspended, and the vehicle was impounded.
CPPS extends its sincere thanks to the Saskatoon RCMP for their prompt and professional response in this matter. Our members work closely with our RCMP partners on files of this nature, and their readiness to assume command of criminal matters — including transporting and processing individuals in custody — made for a smooth and safe resolution to this investigation. That kind of responsiveness reflects the strength of the working relationship between our agencies, and it does not go unnoticed by our members or our community.
Later that afternoon, CPPS stopped a vehicle on Highway 5 near Highway 316 for suspected impaired operation. The driver displayed signs of impairment by methamphetamine, and a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) was administered. The driver performed poorly and was issued a 21-day administrative roadside driving suspension; the vehicle was impounded for seven days. This marked the second time this driver had faced administrative sanction in relation to drugs and driving.
On the afternoon of July 12, CPPS members attended a property in the vicinity of Grasswood Road and Highway 219 to serve a summons. When officers attended a camper trailer at the location, the male sought for service was not there — however, two other wanted persons were found inside. One was taken into custody in front of the camper. The second, thinking he could make a quick getaway, opted for a dramatic exit through the trailer’s back window — a decision that bought him only a short trip across a nearby field before he, too, was taken into custody. Both suspects were conveyed to the Saskatoon RCMP detachment, where they were held to appear before a Hearing Officer.
As always, our thanks go out to our members and our RCMP and SPS partners for their professionalism and teamwork this week, and to the community for its continued support.