A rollover March 23 has claimed the life of a 35-year-old Ponoka area woman.
Police and emergency crews responded to a call at 6:15 a.m. of a rolled GMC Envoy east of Ponoka on Highway 53. It is believed the driver lost control and the vehicle slid sideways into the ditch. This caused the vehicle to roll, which ejected the victim from the vehicle.
It is uncertain what caused the collision and police say it is still under investigation. It is believed the deceased was not wearing a seatbelt.
The identity of the victim was not released by the RCMP.
California men towing salvaged cars
Three California men face traffic fines upwards of $15,000 after hauling salvaged vehicles in Highway 2 last week.
Members of Ponoka Traffic Unit responded to a call of five cars travelling in a convoy at slow speeds.
Witnesses say five cars were travelling at 50 km/h southbound near Ponoka, two of which were being towed. Officers stopped the convoy south of Ponoka and determined three California men bought four salvaged vehicles at an Edmonton auction.
Two salvaged vehicles were towing the other two salvaged vehicles while the fifth vehicle, registered in California, led the convoy.
The vehicles purchased were unregistered, uninsured and the drivers did not have permits to transport the salvaged vehicles nor export them to another country. The men claim they were taking the cars to the United States for personal use.
The man plead guilty to the fines and made bail.
Medicated woman operates vehicle
Despite being advised not to leave the Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury, a central Alberta woman checked herself out and almost hit a gas pump with her car.
The woman drove her car to a Ponoka gas station at approximately 10 km/h. She then drove over a curb and narrowly missed a gas pump March 21 at Midnight. It was determined she was under heavy medication and was taken to a nearby motel to spend the evening.
Email fraud
An email claiming to be from Revenue Canada appears to be making rounds.
A Ponoka woman received one stating she was due for a refund of $581 dollars despite not having filed her taxes yet. All she had to do was provide personal information to a website.
She provided her Social Insurance number, credit card number and other personal details. It is believed she was able to avert major fraud with the help of her bank.
Man arrested for stolen plates
Members of the Ponoka Integrated Traffic Unit worked together to stop a man with outstanding warrants last week.
The man was driving a vehicle with a partially covered licence plate. A query of the plate indicated it was stolen. The driver, a 53-year-old man from Sherwood Park, was stopped at the Bear Hills rest stop on Highway 2 where officers determined he had a second stolen licence plate in the car.
The suspect provided a false name to officers but after some investigation, it was determined he had warrants for his arrest in Edmonton, Leduc and Sherwood Park. It appears the vehicle he was driving was sold some years ago but never re-registered. He was charged with two counts of possession of stolen property and obstructing an officer.
Stolen headphones
Police are looking for a native male in relation to $330 headphones being taken from a downtown store last week.
Video surveillance shows a man with a teardrop tattoo by his eye allegedly walk out of the store without paying for Beats By Dre headphones.
Check Stops
Police held Check Stops as part of National Impaired Driving Enforcement Day March 22.
Two people were given suspensions while others received different violations. Here are some details:
One Check Stop was held at 10:30 p.m. March 22 on Highway 53 and Elkhorn Road. When asked if he had any liquor in his vehicle, a 45-year-old driver from rural Ponoka said he did not have any.
A check of his Ford F150 revealed an open case of Coors beer in the truck. He provided a “caution” on his breath sample. He received a three-day suspension and three day seizure of the pickup.
Another driver was stopped March 23 at 3:10 a.m. on Highway 2A and Spruce Road. Officers could smell an odor of marijuana emanating from a Ford Explorer and the driver, a 23-year-old man from Lacombe admitted to smoking some an hour earlier. He received a 24-hour-suspension.
Other tickets issued:
• Six no licences
• Two fail to produce registration
• Three unregistered
• Three uninsured
• One without a proper child restraint
• Two people failed to produce a driver’s licence
• Four people failed to produce insurance
• Two people were in possession of drugs
Police took 68 calls for service last week.
If you have information on any crime, call Ponoka RCMP at 403-783-4472 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.