NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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NAIRN-HYMAN TOWNSHIP - The Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) arrested five people for impaired driving between July 21 and July 22, 2023. The Manitoulin OPP has laid 40 impaired driving charges since Jan. 1, 2023.
On July 21, 2023 shortly after 8:20 a.m., the Manitoulin OPP responded to a traffic complaint of a white minivan swerving in its lane on Highway 17.
Police located the vehicle in a parking lot in Nairn-Hyman Township. It was determined that the driver had been consuming alcoholic beverages and was arrested for impaired driving. The driver was then returned to the Espanola OPP detachment for further tests.
Rene Levesque, 68 years old from Elliot Lake, was charged with:
• Operation while impaired - alcohol and drugs
• Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)
The accused was released and scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Espanola on Aug. 21, 2023.
The driver was issued a 90-day administrative driver's licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
Drivers are reminded that no amount of alcohol or drugs in your system is safe when driving. If you plan on drinking or consuming drugs, plan not to drive. Instead, arrange for a designated driver or take a taxi.
If you observe a suspected impaired driver, please call 9-1-1 immediately and report it.
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