A 43 year old man from Edmonton is facing multiple charges, including speeding and impaired driving, after he was caught traveling at 162 kilometres per hour and subsequently was found to have a blood alcohol level more than double the legal limit, according to the NCO of the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) Corporal Darrin Turnbull.
The incident happened at 10:25 a.m. southbound on Highway 2 near the Acme/Crossfield overpass on Dec. 5. According to Turnbull, a member of the ITU saw a Nissan Versa being driven at an extremely high rate of speed. The officer was on the northbound side of the highway but radioed another officer who was travelling southbound and he was able to intercept the vehicle on Highway 2 near the Balzac overpass.
The driver, who cannot be identified because the charges have not yet been read in court, has been charged with Impaired Driving, Driving Over the Legal Limit, and Dangerous Driving under the Canadian Criminal Code as well as Driving an Unregistered Vehicle and Driving an Uninsured Vehicle under the Traffic Safety Act. The man was found to have open liquor in the vehicle and has been charged under the Gaming and Liquor Act Regulations.
Turnbull explained that there is a difference between Impaired Driving and Driving Over the Legal Limit.
“If you have somebody who rarely drinks and they go out and have a couple of glasses of wine, their blood alcohol concentration might only be 40, but they never drink and they have no tolerance so that alcohol would effect them more than it would effect somebody else,” Turnbull said. “You can be impaired by alcohol and be under the legal limit. The legal limit is .08 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood. Everybody’s ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired when (their blood alcohol concentration is) over 80.”
Turnbull said the man also has a number of outstanding warrants but was unable to say what those warrants are for.
The man was held in custody at the Airdrie RCMP detachment until he sobered up and was then released. Turnbull did not know the date the man would first be in court.
The incident came on the same day Airdrie RCMP and the Airdrie ITU, along with Calgary Police Services, held a special Joint Forces Check Stop on Highway 566 near the Balzac Community Centre. (See story on page 19). The Check Stop was held to launch the National Impaired Driving Enforcement Campaign, taking place throughout the month of December.
Christmas caper
Airdrie’s Dana Mah, 30, has been charged with five counts of Possession of Stolen Property, Theft of Credit Card, Breach of Probation and Possession of a Controlled Substance after he was arrested by Airdrie RCMP on Nov. 27.
According to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis, a resident of Channelside called police to report a man prowling around vehicles and stealing Christmas decorations from the neighbourhood.
Curtis said Mah was located and had a stolen credit card, sunglasses, a GPS unit, marijuana, and an inflatable helicopter Santa in his possession. He was taken into custody and made his first court appearance in Airdrie Provincial Court on Dec. 4. Curtis did not know the outcome of that court appearance.
“We received some information from the public that this individual was potentially selling Christmas ornaments online, (for instance) on Kijiji,” Curtis said. “I can’t really say what he intended to do with the items.”
Salon Targeted
Airdrie RCMP is asking for the public’s help to identify a woman who entered the Chatters Salon on Main Street South on two separate occasions, filling a handbag with products and leaving without paying.
According to Curtis, the first incident took place on Sept. 18. The woman entered the salon with two children and stole product from the shelves. The second incident took place on Oct. 19. This time the woman entered the business alone.
Curtis said staff noticed the thefts after the woman had already left the store and a check of the store’s video surveillance has given officers a very basic description.
She is described as Caucasian, heavy set with long dark hair drawn back into a pony tail.
If you have any information on any crime, call the Airdrie RCMP detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
