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Suspended driver nabbed by automated licence plate reader: OPP

Thessalon driver charged yesterday following Highway 17 traffic stop
SooToday Staff
20190310 opp cruiser OPP(1)
OPP file photo

A Thessalon driver was charged yesterday following a traffic stop on Highway 17 in Garden River.

Officers on general patrol in the area were alerted by the automated licence plate recognition system to a black pickup truck that had unauthorized plates, says a news release issued by OPP.

Full text of the release follows:

GARDEN RIVER FIRST NATION - On Feb. 21, 2024, the Sault Ste Marie Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were on general patrol, when their automated licence plate recognition (ALPR) system alerted them to a black pickup truck travelling eastbound on Highway 17 within the community of Garden River First Nation.

A traffic stop was initiated as the plates on that pickup truck were not authorized for that vehicle. While speaking to the driver, police determined there was no insurance on the vehicle and the driver was a suspended driver.

As a result, Cody Wardell, 28 years of age from Thessalon, was charged with:

    •    Operation while prohibited
    •    Operate a motor vehicle without insurance
    •    Use plates not authorized for vehicle

The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Sault Ste. Marie on April 8, 2024.

None of the allegations have been tested in court and Wardell is considered innocent unless proven guilty.