Thursday, August 25, 2005

Theft of Motor Vehicle

(Elliot Lake, Ont.) On August 24, 2005 the East Algoma OPP attended a residence on Laurier Road in Elliot Lake in regards to a stolen vehicle.

On scene it was learned that a 2003 red Pontiac Sunfire bearing Ontario marker AREEE 425 was last seen in the driveway at 11:00 p.m. on August 23, 2005.

Police later located the vehicle and the suspect was arrested.

Charged with Theft Over $5,000.00 of a Motor Vehicle and two (2) counts of Breach of Probation is Lee Denis POLMATEER (22) of Elliot Lake.

POLMATEER is scheduled to appear in court on October 4th, 2005.

Investigation continuing.

Speeding Through Construction Zones

Complaints, complaints, complaints!!! We have been receiving numerous complaints of motorists speeding through construction zones in our area.

We know it is not a communication problem. There are plenty of signs indicating where construction zones begin and end. There are newly posted temporary speed limit signs indicating reduced speeds from those normally posted. The are workers wielding signs that proclaim ‘SLOW’ with a bright yellow background on one side and ‘STOP’ on a bright red background on the other side.
There are workers wearing bright orange vests near the traveled portion of the highway. There are large slow moving trucks and other machinery, for which I don’t know the proper name, lumbering through these sites. Often the roadways are narrowed to a single lane. And yet, some motorists seem to be oblivious to all. They travel through these areas at speeds that are excessive, even if this were not a construction zone. Instead of traveling on the highway you would think they were vying for the pole position in a Formula 1 race. ENOUGH!

Construction workers have a dangerous and difficult enough job without speeding motorists compounding their problems. SLOW DOWN!

The O.P.P. are taking a dim view of those who traverse construction zones unsafely. We will be enforcing the laws to the maximum. There is no acceptable excuse for endangering the safety of so many for the sake of shaving off a few seconds of your travel time.

Minor Traffic Incidents

Three relatively minor traffic accidents were investigated by officers of Sault Ste. Marie Detachment yesterday. A construction company pick-up truck made inadvertent contact with a back-hoe, on a job site. Needless to say the pick-up truck did not fare as well as the back-hoe. No one was injured so all can be repaired.

A young man borrowed his sisters new car for a trip into to the city yesterday afternoon. Just south of Whispering Pines Road the car went over on the shoulder of the road. Control was lost and the car made contact with several guide posts. In this case the guide posts suffered as much as the car. Twenty-one year old Stephen QUACKENBUSH of Sault Ste. Marie received a ticket for Failing to Drive in a Marked Lane. His sisters car was towed to an auto-body shop for repairs.

In the early hours of this morning a south bound car came upon a bear standing on the roadway. Evasive action was not as successful as was hoped for and the bear became well acquainted with the front of the car. Minimal damage was sustained to the vehicle but the condition of the bear is unknown. The bear, probably knowing he was in the wrong, vamoosed into the woods.

Disturbance

Several youths, up past their bedtime, were ensuring that people close to the area they were occupying would not have an early night. We were called to the public school in Echo Bay around 12:30 this morning. The complainant told us that several young people were at the school causing a disturbance. Officers attended the scene but all was quiet on their arrival.