A couple of traffic accidents on July 9 required the full attention of Estevan Police Service members for a few hours.
The first call involved a head-on collision on Fourth Street near the railway underpass. When they arrived on the scene, police discovered a one-ton truck had been in collision with a tandem trailer unit that was hauling grain.
Both lanes of the highway had to be shut down during the investigation and clean up, and Estevan Fire Rescue Services personnel were dispatched to deal with a diesel fuel spill as well as other fluids that were leaking from vehicle engines. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene by EMS attendants.
The driver of the one-ton vehicle was charged with driving without due care and attention and crossing the centre line on the highway. He will answer to the charges when he appears in court in August.
Just prior to that incident, EPS members received several 911 calls regarding another accident on Souris Ave. near the 7-Eleven convenience store where a motorcycle had been in collision with a pickup truck. The cyclist suffered injuries and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries.
This matter remains under investigation and charges are pending.
On that same shift, EPS members were required to attend to an apartment to remove an unwanted guest then checked on several vehicles and issued a number of tickets to drivers and passengers for having open liquor in a vehicle or for being minors in possession of alcohol.
A day earlier, EPS members responded to a hit and run incident at the corner of Spruce Drive and King St. One vehicle had been sideswiped by another that failed to stop. Police located the offending vehicle on Highway 39 west and the driver returned to the police station to submit a collision report. The driver of one of the vehicles was charged for failing to yield the right-of-way.
A domestic issue involving a possible abandoned child was resolved when police attended to the scene and learned the child had not been left unattended at any time.
A collision near the entrance to the WalMart parking lot ended up with one man being transported to St. Joseph's Hospital as a precautionary measure. Police learned that while the man was steering the car into a turn, a vehicle door malfunctioned and the door swung open and when the driver attempted to close it, he lost control and the vehicle jumped the curb and collided with a C can on a neighbouring property.
Police stopped a vehicle in the industrial area of city during the early morning hours of July 9. They identified all three persons in the vehicle and they checked the area following the traffic stop and about two hours later, discovered a generator in the 400 block of Mississippian Ave. that obviously didn't belong there.
The investigation into the matter continues and police are hoping to identify the owner of the generator.
When police stopped a vehicle without the headlights on during the night of July 10, they subsequently charged the 19-year-old driver with impaired driving. He now has an August court date.
On the night of July 11, EPS members received a RID (report impaired drivers) call regarding a possible impaired driver entering the city from Highway 39 east. The reports stated that witnesses had observed beer cans being flung from the vehicle.
Police managed to intercept the vehicle on Kensington Ave. and Fourth St. and the Ontario-based operator of the vehicle blew a warning on the roadside breathalyzer test, so his license was suspended for three days under the province's new impaired driving regulations. A female passenger received a ticket for consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. A large volume of alcohol was seized from the vehicle and police also uncovered a firearm that was loaded, with a round in the chamber, so the owner was charged under the Wildlife Act for having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.
The two subjects are now scheduled for a Sept. 10 court appearance.
Another man was charged with impaired driving and driving while his blood-alcohol level was over .08 per cent on July 11 following a police stop.
The driver had been observed acting in a strange manner during his departure from a local lounge shortly after closing. The vehicle was seized and his license suspended indefinitely under the province's new impaired driving regulations. He now has a July 28 court date.
On July 12, EPS members dealt with four motor vehicle accidents that occurred on city streets and also did a little rodeo work by rounding up a horse that was spotted on the loose along Kensington Ave. The horse was located behind the Estevan Comprehensive School and was caught and brought under control while the owner was located so he could return the animal to a fenced area. The owner is now conducting a survey of his fence line to find out how the horse managed to get away.
Police then received a call regarding the bicycle riding action of a young child who was subsequently located along with one of the parents. The two were advised of the concerns that had been expressed and offered some advice regarding safety procedures for new bicycle riders.
On the night of July 12, EPS members responded to a call regarding a vehicle's window being smashed while it was being driven along Sixth St. The driver said he heard a loud noise as something struck the window and broke it. Police are investigating the possible causes for this strange occurrence.
A growing problem in the Pleasantdale area of the city appears to be bored youth who are knocking on doors and then running away before the homeowners answer. So far there have been no reports of physical damages being inflicted on the properties.
The police also responded to several noise complaints on the night of July 12. The first was on the south side of the city where the subjects in question had left the area before police arrived.
The second call came from the north side and the responsible persons were warned about the city's noise bylaw.
The third call came from the Westview area and the occupant of the residence was warned about the bylaw, but when police were required to return to the same address three times within a couple of hours, they laid charges and issued a ticket.
An intoxicated man, who was seen stumbling around the eastern side of the city on July 12, was taken into custody and lodged in cells for his own safety and released after he regained sobriety.
A man who was taken into custody for being intoxicated in public on July 13, was also wanted on several outstanding warrants so he was held overnight prior to a court appearance the next morning.
A strong smell of marijuana being emitted from within a vehicle during a routine police stop on July 13 led to the arrest of one man for being in possession of a controlled substance.
EPS members also report that shortly after lounge closing time on July 13, several vehicles were damaged when their windows were smashed. Other damages ensued due to the spraying of a fire extinguisher taken from a bus. Some road equipment suffered broken windows. One vehicle's window had been broken by a flying beer bottle.
An off-duty police officer, while shopping in a local store, noticed a person in the act of shoplifting so a call was placed and a woman was arrested outside the store by EPS members. She was charged with theft of goods valued at under $5,000 and was later released on the condition that she not enter the store she had victimized, again.
On July 14, EPS members said they were looking into a complaint registered by a local citizen who claimed he had never received a product he had paid for off the Internet.
