Quick action by the Ponoka Integrated Traffic Unit helped nab a drunk driver Jan. 16 after being clocked at 196 km/h.
A concerned motorist called police to say there was a car driving in an erratic manner northbound on Highway 2 near Lacombe. It is reported it took the driver approximately 10 minutes to get from Highway 12 to Highway 13. At this point a member of the traffic unit clocked the driver at 150 km/h but was unable to intercept.
However another member was further north and ready to attend; the suspect was clocked at 196 km/h. After being stopped, the driver, a man from Grand Prairie, was believed to be intoxicated. He provided two blood-alcohol samples of .12 and .11.
There was a female passenger in the vehicle but she was asleep at the time. The vehicle was seized for seven days and the man lost his licence. He was charged with impaired and dangerous driving.
The next day officers stopped another vehicle on Highway 2 travelling at 195 km/h. Details of that incident were not available at press time.
Intoxicated man charged with breach of conditions
Police were called to a home on the 5000 block of 60 Avenue last week to deal with a domestic dispute. It is reported that a 35-year-old Ponoka man was yelling profanities at a 33-year-old woman in their home.
When police arrived the man showed signs of drinking alcohol and is on conditions to stay away from alcohol. He was arrested and charged with breach of conditions. There were three children under 12 years old in the building.
Credit card fraudster
A Ponoka woman called police Jan. 13 after dealing with a man who claimed to be a computer technician. The man said his name was Peter Cooper, ID number 60224, the man was able to gain remote access to the victim’s computer. He asked for her credit card number, which she provided, and had access to her computer for approximately 15 minutes.
A call to her credit card company showed there were three transaction attempts on her credit card but were declined by the credit card company.
Heavy winds cause collisions
Heavy winds were a factor in many collisions Jan. 15. One situation involved a semi hauling two trailers on Highway 2 and Highway 53. Heavy wind blew over the empty trailers partially blocking the lanes.
There were no charges in the incident.
If you have information on any crime call Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.