A theft, a couple of incidents involving obstruction of police officers and a number of policing interventions summed up most of the major activities of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) during the last few days of 2013 and the first days of 2014.
During the day shift on Dec. 30, EPS received a report of a theft that occurred in the central part of the city at a repair shop. Four wheels and tires were removed from a pickup truck parked in the business' lot. This matter remains under investigation.
The next day, EPS members initiated a traffic stop in the central part of Estevan, which resulted in a 25-year-old man being arrested for obstructing a police officer when he provided a false name. He was also charged with driving while suspended. The subject now has a Jan. 27 court date.
A report of a suspicious person begging for money in the entrance of a local business resulted in police attending the scene where they discovered that the panhandler had moved on.
Police next responded to a three-vehicle collision at an intersection in the central part of the city. A westbound vehicle proceeded through a stop sign and was struck by a southbound vehicle. A third vehicle, which had been travelling east was also hit as part of the chain reaction.
The driver of the westbound vehicle was charged with proceeding from a stop sign before it was safe to do so.
Police reported that there were only minor injuries sustained by the participants.
On the night of Dec. 31, EPS members charged one man for being in possession of a controlled substance and also attended to a noisy party to warn the host about the city's noise bylaw.
The next call came from the city's north side in response to a report of a woman damaging a vehicle. She was taken into custody, lodged in cells until sober and will appear in court at a later date to face the charges of causing willful damage.
A report of a stolen car being driven into Estevan was responded to by police who found the vehicle in question and charged the driver with driving while impaired and for taking a vehicle without consent.
The next call came from a central area convenience store where it was reported that a man had passed out in the restroom. The man was taken into custody and charged with being intoxicated in public and lodged in cells until sober.
On the night of Jan. 1, EPS members initiated a traffic stop in the central part of the city that resulted in a 28-year-old man being arrested for providing false identification. He was taken into custody and charged with obstructing a police officer and driving while suspended. He is slated for his first court appearance on Feb. 24.
On the night of Jan. 3, police responded to two false alarms at local businesses and also reported a busy night with traffic enforcement issues, including the issuance of a 24-hour licence suspension for a 29-year-old male driver.
On that same evening, a 20-year-old man was arrested on numerous charges after a witness called in to police to report a hit-and-run incident. The witness was able to help police locate the driver who was extremely intoxicated. He was charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident, impaired driving and driving while his blood-alcohol level was over .08, obstruction of a police officer and dangerous driving. He now has a March 3 court date.
A man advised police that he had been assaulted by three other men who were walking on the road. The assault occurred when the man had exited his vehicle to ask the men to move aside.
On Jan. 4 police received an anonymous call regarding a man and woman fighting outside of a residence in the west central area of the city. Police determined that the man was intoxicated, so he was arrested for causing a disturbance.
That same night, a 44-year-old man was arrested for impaired driving and for refusing to provide a breath sample. The man had been located in a parking lot at a local business, sitting on the driver's side of the vehicle. The caller noted that the man had been sitting there for a long time and may have passed out at one point, which prompted the call.
The next call EPS members received on Jan. 4 involved a woman who had placed a distress call asking for assistance. When police met with her they discerned that she was extremely intoxicated. She had asked to be taken from one residence to another, but then had to be removed from the second location due to her high level of intoxication.
On Jan. 5 another female caller requested police assistance at her residence, but when they arrived, she reported that she was alright and that the call had been made when she was trying to deal with some unwanted guests who had been refusing to leave her home, until she made the call to police. When they arrived, they discovered the undesirable visitors had departed.
