It's not always about patrol cruisers when it comes to policing in Estevan and area. On two occasions this past week, Estevan Police Service personnel found themselves in foot races with fleeing suspects and in both instances, the suspects lost.
During a night shift on Oct. 18, EPS members attempted to stop a vehicle in the west central area of the city in regards to a Traffic Safety Act violation, but the male driver of the vehicle refused to stop and proceeded to travel west out of Estevan and onto Highway 39.
Several other EPS members were able to catch up to the initial EPS officer who was driving behind the suspect, and high rates of speed were recorded as the suspect continued past the town of Midale before pulling into a farmyard where he abandoned his vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.
After a brief pursuit on foot, the 26-year-old man from Limerick, Sask., was taken into custody and faces several charges including one for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle as well as fleeing from police and possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana. The man was also charged with resisting arrest and driving while disqualified. There were even more charges for which he could be ticketed under the Traffic Safety Act.
The suspect was handed a 24-hour suspension of his driver's licence for having alcohol in his system that exceeded .04 per cent. He was detained in cells until his first court appearance.
During that same nightshift, a 22-year-old Estevan man needed to be tracked down on foot after he fled from police following a traffic stop.
Once again, the foot race was brief and effective since EPS members made the arrest and charged the man with fleeing from police, impaired driving and driving while his blood-alcohol content was over .08 per cent and for being in possession of a controlled substance, marijuana.
The man was held in cells until he regained sobriety.
Earlier in the week EPS members were called upon to investigate a motor vehicle incident that involved a train. Minor damages were inflicted on the car in this incident, and no injuries were reported.
On Oct. 16, EPS members arrested one man for being intoxicated in public. He was lodged in cells overnight.
During the Oct. 16 dayshift, EPS members issued a number of traffic-related tickets, including six violations for unregistered vehicle, one for driving while talking on a cellphone and two others for seatbelt violations.
The Oct. 17 day shift, saw a 28-year-old Estevan woman being charged with driving without a valid driver's licence after she was stopped in the central area of the city. The vehicle was flagged as impoundable so it was towed away.
More traffic violations were recorded by police during the day, and the drivers were charged accordingly, including those for speeding, operating unregistered vehicles and failing to stop at red lights or stop signs.
Besides the chase to Midale, EPS members on duty on the night of Oct. 18 also issued a 24-hour licence suspension to a 30-year-old Regina man after his breathalyzer test registered above .04 per cent.
On that same shift, a 36-year-old Port Alberni, B.C. man was arrested outside a lounge on the city's north central area. The man had refused to leave the lounge when asked to do so and had engaged in a physical confrontation with staff.
The man was taken into custody and lodged in cells until sober, and he was also charged with being in possession of less than 30 grams of marijuana.
Before this particular shift was over, EPS members also ended up arresting a 25-year-old Estevan man for assault as a result of a domestic dispute, which remains under investigation and a 32-year-old Estevan man for causing a disturbance in the central area of the city. He was charged with being intoxicated in public and uttering threats to several police officers.
On Oct. 19, EPS members responded to three separate business alarms within 15 minutes of each other and all within a three-block perimeter. All appeared to have been false.
Members then attended to a local lounge in the central part of the city to arrest a 46-year-old Edmonton, Alta., man for being intoxicated in public and for refusing to leave the lounge when asked to do so. He was lodged in cells until sober.
A 24-year-old Moose Jaw man was also lodged in cells after being arrested for public intoxication and for being in breach of court-ordered conditions.
Police were then asked to follow up on a report of a man wielding a knife in a threatening manner in the north central area of the city. Police investigated the incident and no criminal charges were laid.
On that same night a 34-year-old Alberta man's vehicle was stopped by police in the central area of the city. He was subsequently charged with driving while impaired and driving while over .08. He was given a court date and released from custody later.
On Oct. 20, EPS personnel followed up on a noise complaint that involved noisy music coming from a residence in the southeast area of the city. The home's occupant was warned about the city's noise bylaw.
A dispute between two tenants at a house in the city resulted in police attending the scene to discuss the matter between the parties who were warned about their collective actions.
A report of a vehicle being driven in a suspicious manner in the east central area of the city was checked into by police but no further policing action was required.
