A Thunder Bay Police Service officer with the Uniform Patrol branch was driving southbound on Cumberland Street just before 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2 when he noticed a vehicle driving aggressively in front of him.
The vehicle was swerving to pass other motorists, and at one point swerved in front of the officer forcing him to brake hard. The officer conducted a traffic stop in the zero-to-100 block of Cumberland Street North as the motorist was pulling into the private parking lot of a hotel.
The officer began speaking to the driver, at which point the officer began to notice several signs that suggested the motorist was impaired.
The responding officer requested assistance from an officer with the service’s Traffic Unit to conduct a Standardized Field Sobriety Test. The results of that test determined the driver was likely impaired by drugs.
The motorist was arrested and transported to the Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters for further screening by a qualified Drug Recognition Evaluator. The results of further testing by the DRE determined the driver was impaired by drug.
A 33-year-old Thunder Bay man has been charged with Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle while Impaired by Drugs.
He was released on a Promise to Appear with a future court date.