OPP roundup: Mission accomplished for five-year-old motorist who wanted to buy sister a Christmas gift
An occasional roundup of unusual events reported by the Ontario Provincial Police:
Mission accomplished, thanks to the OPP.
On Dec. 13 a five-year-old boy in Central Frontenac, north of Kingston, got behind the wheel of his family's car. He had planned to drive to a store to buy his little sister a pink toy tractor for Christmas. He didn't get far - the car got stuck in a neighbour's hayfield.
But the boy's wish did come true. Three days before Christmas, officers from the Frontenac OPP detachment bought the boy's sister a pink toy tractor as well as gifts for all the children," police said.
They did, however, have a word of warning: Frontenac OPP is reminding parents to please keep car keys out of reach and stored away from children."
Smoked out
Police caught a man with more than two million illegal smokes.
OPP pulled over a vehicle Dec. 17 on Highway 11-17 in Nipigon Township, northeast of Thunder Bay, and found it was carrying 11,900 cartons of unmarked cigarettes and a quantity of cash.
A carton holds 200 cigarettes, so if our math is correct (it rarely is), that equals 2.3 million smokes.
A Grenfell, Sask., man, 71, was charged with trafficking in contraband tobacco and possession of the proceeds of property obtained by crime.
Don't go your own way
Police managed to stop an 86-year-old wrong-way driver on Highway 401 in Windsor.
OPP were called at 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 15.
Each call from the public provided an update, as the vehicle was travelling eastbound in the westbound lanes for a distance," police said. An officer in a marked patrol vehicle was able to intercept and successfully stop the vehicle in a live lane before having the driver move off to the shoulder. There was heavy traffic in the area at the time."
No one was injured.
The woman told police she entered the highway in the wrong direction and did not know what to do.
In the event you find yourself in this situation, you should pull over to the shoulder immediately, and do not drive against traffic for risk of a collision," OPP said. No charges are expected in this incident; a request for a driver's licence evaluation will be submitted."
Brass in pocket
That took a lot of brass.
Thieves stole a tractor and two trailers loaded with $200,000 worth of brass. The theft at a trucking company in St. Thomas, in Elgin County, happened Dec. 18 or 19.
The maroon 2009 Volvo tractor has Ontario plates 6448PV and Tapsell Trucking" marked on the side The silver trailers have Ontario plates B7991R and E6384C with red side racks and covered by black tarps.
If you see them, call OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Wet driver charged
A man who drove his car into a lake in Orillia faces five charges.
On Dec. 11 around 5 p.m., officers responded to a car in Lake Simcoe with two occupants. Both made it to shore.
The driver, 24, of Georgetown was charged with impaired driving, dangerous driving, driving while prohibited, failing to comply with a breath demand, and causing a disturbance.
Loaded handgun yanked
An American trucker got nabbed at the Canadian border with a loaded handgun
On Dec. 13 the Canada Border Services Agency called OPP about a driver trying to enter Canada at the Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Mich., and Sarnia.
An inspection of the truck found the handgun, which had been reported stolen, and two prohibited ammunition clips.
A Georgia man, 43, faces six criminal charges, including careless use of a firearm and possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon.
Big cocaine bust
Police seized a pile of cocaine in a traffic stop east of Dryden, between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg.
On Dec. 10 officers spotted a car speeding on Highway 17. It failed to stop and police didn't chase it due to public safety concerns.
Police saw the car later. It pulled over this time. Turns out the car was stolen and loaded with $500,000 of cocaine.
A Winnipeg man, 28, was charged with drug trafficking, fleeing police and possession of property obtained by crime.