It wasn't a wild chase, but it was certainly out of the ordinary policing routine.
On the night of Nov. 10, members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) attempted to stop a vehicle in the Pleasantdale area of the city. The driver refused to respond to police efforts and continued to drive around the residential area for awhile before leaving the city.
EPS members continued to follow the offending vehicle as the driver attempted evasive tactics that included a drive through several fields and farm yards before heading back to the city.
Police tracked the vehicle back to the city and located the people who had been in the vehicle in a residence back in the Pleasantdale area. They were all taken into custody and a 23-year-old Manitoba man now faces charges of dangerous driving, fleeing from police, impaired driving and driving while his blood-alcohol level was over .08. He has a December court date where he can respond to each of the charges.
In other EPS reports, it was noted that on Nov. 7 police were asked to look into a hit-and-run incident involving a parked vehicle near a local lounge. A suspect vehicle was located by police as was the driver who was no longer driving, but on foot, a short distance from his vehicle. A 28-year-old Estevan man was charged with driving without due care and attention and for failing to report an accident.
A fight at a lounge in the north central area of the city on Nov. 8, attracted police attention.
Two men and one woman were arrested and removed from the premises. A 34-year-old Estevan woman was charged with resisting arrest and lodged in cells until sober. A 42-year-old Estevan man was arrested and lodged in cells until sober as was a 38-year-old New Brunswick male.
On the night of Nov. 9, police were called to a business in response to a report of an intoxicated man who was refusing to leave the establishment. A 49-year-old subject was interviewed by police and was found to be in possession of a controlled substance. He was lodged in cells until sober and charged with being in possession of illegal drugs and being intoxicated in public.
On that same night, EPS members were alerted to the fact that some intoxicated people were causing a disturbance at a local business. When police got to the location they learned the group had left, but they managed to locate the vehicle the troublemakers were in a short distance away. The 47-year-old driver was subsequently charged with impaired driving and now has a December court date.
On the night of Nov. 10, some time after the fleeing from police incident, EPS members were called to a local business in response to a fight that had broken out. The people involved in the fracas had left prior to police arrival, but EPS members did manage to locate one group that had been involved and sent them on their way, accompanied by some sober friends.
A short time later police were called back to the same business where it was learned that some of the people had returned. As a result of this activity, a 27-year-old Saskatoon man was arrested for being in contravention of a few alcohol and gaming regulations and for breaching court-ordered conditions. He now has a December court date.
Later that night, police were asked to check into some activities in a parking lot at a local business. A number of men, it was noted, had been milling around. When police arrived, they discovered that several of the men had outstanding warrants placed against them from other jurisdictions so they were arrested and taken to the police station where they were lodged in cells until sober. They now face charges under the Alcohol and Gaming Act. Some of them were released that same evening on conditions that they attend court on newly set dates in various jurisdictions.
On the night of Nov. 11, police were called to a residence in response to a security alarm. When they arrived, they found an intoxicated man at the residence. He had been attempting to enter the home, thinking it was a friend's residence. He didn't have the right address, so the matter was concluded with the police intervention.
Due to the suddenly harsh and difficult winter driving situations that descended on the city during the weekend, city police attended to several vehicle incidents that were brought about by road and weather situations. Fortunately no injuries were reported, but several vehicles ended up having to be towed from accident scenes and police issued a city-wide alert for local motorists to avoid venturing out unless it was necessary and they were in a suitable vehicle to handle the more difficult conditions.
