With traffic intensity increasing and more holiday events on tap within the community, the Estevan Police Service (EPS) members have been engaged in a number of different activities in the city with the intent of maintaining peace and goodwill.
On the night of Dec. 3, EPS members responded to a false alarm signal from the north side of the city. The alarm had been triggered accidentally by an employee.
Around midnight that same evening, police attended to a local lounge in response to a call regarding a female patron who was refusing to leave after being asked to do so by staff. When they arrived police found an injured woman lying on the ground, so she was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital where she was examined and later released. After looking further into the event, police arrested a 37-year-old man for assault causing bodily harm. The man appeared in court the next day and was released from custody after agreeing to a number of court-ordered conditions.
A car that was hung up on a snow windrow along 13th Avenue was the subject of police attention later on during the Dec. 3 shift. After speaking with the driver, police believed the incident was largely a result of the poor road conditions at the time and alcohol was not a factor. Their routine examination at the site however, revealed that the vehicle was not registered, so the driver was charged accordingly. It was also noted that no injuries were reported as a result of the accident.
On the night of Dec. 6, EPS responded to several calls regarding fights at a local establishment, so they ended up arresting several subjects based on their state of intoxication and the events they were engaged in. Charges are pending and all combatants were lodged in cells until sober.
Police checked out one vehicle on the city's west side that same night and ended up charging the driver with refusing to provide a breath sample. The 18-year-old Estevan man was lodged in cells until regaining sobriety and now has an early January court date. A passenger in the vehicle was also charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol, and he was subsequently turned over to a parent.
That same night, EPS were called to the north side of the city prompted by a report of a man entering a residence uninvited. When they arrived, police found a 40-year-old intoxicated man sleeping on a couch at the residence, so he was arrested and charged with trespassing and lodged in cells for the remainder of the evening.
Police next found a man passed out in a vehicle outside of a local lounge. He was arrested for being intoxicated in public and placed in cells until sober.
Several other drivers around the city were checked for impaired driving and several were charged, and some were assigned to cells for the night and most now have early January court dates.
On the night of Dec. 7, EPS members checked a vehicle parked in the Cactus Park area of the city and discovered that there was open liquor inside. They charged a 23-year-old B.C. woman for having open alcohol in a vehicle while the 26-year-old Estevan man, who was apparently driving, was found to be in possession of a controlled substance (marijuana). He was charged accordingly and now has a February court date.
On that same shift, police responded to a report of a fight in progress at a local business, and they located several men engaged in fisticuffs outside of the business. Two Estevan men were held in custody until sober and were charged with fighting and for being intoxicated in public.
A call from a local cab company regarding an unruly customer led to one man being arrested and placed in cells until sober.
On Dec. 8, during the night shift, police located a man and woman engaged in a fight outside a local lounge. Both of the participants were intoxicated, so they were arrested and lodged in cells until sober and both face similar charges of being intoxicated in public.
A local motorist, using the RID concept (Report Intoxicated Drivers), contacted EPS members about a possible intoxicated driver within the city limits. With the assistance of the reporting motorist, police were able to locate the impaired driver who was a 35-year-old man from Manitoba. He was lodged in cells until sober and will face numerous charges when he appears in court in February.
On that same shift, several other drivers were handed 24-hour driving suspensions after registering certain levels of impairment during roadside checks.
On the night of Dec. 9, EPS members conducted a traffic stop that eventually led to several charges under the controlled substances act. Several grams of marijuana were found along with a small amount of cash that was seized from the occupants of the vehicle. Two males who were in the vehicle were scheduled to appear in court the next morning.
Due to the slippery conditions on local streets, police spent some additional time on patrol and attending to a number of accidents on local roads, often due to the weather and road conditions. They remind drivers to slow down and allow more time to reach their destinations.
