Thursday, July 28, 2005

Grow-Op Raided

On Thursday the 28th of July 2005 the Joint Forces Drug Unit executed a search warrant at a residence located on Round Lake, Johnson Township, northeast of Desbarats, Ontario. The Joint Forces Drug Unit is made up of members from the Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Section, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They were assisted by members from Thessalon O.P.P. Detachment.

A sophisticated hydroponics marijuana grow operation was located inside the residence. There was also an outdoor marijuana grow.

Approximately 750 marijuana plants were seized along with $25,000 worth of hydroponics equipment. A lawn tractor, a trailer, a generator and $600.00 in cash were also seized. The potential street value of the marijuana plants seized is estimated at $750,000.00. Approximately three pounds of processed marijuana bud with an estimated street value of $14,000.00 was also seized.

Robert C. ULCH, 54 and Elvira ULCH, 50 of Round Lake have been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking and Production of a Controlled Substance. They were arrested and transported to Thessalon O.P.P.

Threatening charges

(Serpent River, Ont.) - Police have arrested a male after receiving a threatening complaint.

The victim called police to report that a male had attended the band office and requested money for damages to his vehicle.

When the suspect was not satisfied with the response he uttered threats to the victim.

Charged with Utter Threat to Damage Property and Breach of Probation is Roderick Conrad MCCORMICK (52) of Spanish, Ontario.

MCCORMICK was held in custody awaiting a bail hearing.

Investigation continuing.

Civic Holiday Traffic Safety Focus on Driver Fatigue
Falling Asleep at the Wheel – Take a Break!

(Northeastern Ontario) ‘Inexplicable things can happen in the middle of a hot summer day. Along a lonely stretch of highway a car drifts into the opposite lane and for no obvious reason slams headlong into an oncoming truck and all the occupants of the car are killed. A vehicle leaves the roadway, at full speed, and smashes into a rock-cut. The driver is dead and there are no witnesses.’

Most likely, crashes similar to these are caused by fatigue - drivers either falling asleep at the wheel or so exhausted they make serious – and fatal – driving errors. In 2004, the OPP investigated 416 fatal roadway crashes that resulted in 476 persons being killed and 16 drivers were reported to be fatigued which represents 3.4% of the fatalities. This may not seem like much but, driver condition is unknown in almost 50% of the fatal crashes and fatigue does play a bigger factor.

Feeling drowsy is dangerous when you are behind the wheel. Your reaction time slows, awareness decreases, and your judgment becomes impaired – just like with drugs or alcohol. There are two times of day when most people are more likely to feel sleepy. One is the afternoon lull from 2-5 p.m. The other is the early morning 2-6 a.m.

You may not notice when drowsiness is creeping up on you. Watch for these early warning signals.

• Your eyesight starts to blur
• You have trouble keeping your eyes open
• You have trouble keeping your head up
• You can’t stop yawning
• You have wandering disconnected thoughts
• You don’t remember driving the last few miles
• You have missed your exit
• You keep drifting out of your lane
• Your speed becomes variable
• You feel irritable and restless

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OPP News Release – Civic Holiday – driver fatigue - page 2 of 2


When you are behind the wheel don’t let the monotony of driving take over. If you have even one of these symptoms—sleep may overpower you. Find a safe place to stop and take a break.

Highway traffic safety is an OPP priority this Civic Holiday weekend. Patrol officers urge motorists to make it their priority too – enjoy the weekend but travel safely by driving refreshed and alert.

Watch for the deadly signs of driver fatigue – take a break during the hot summer weather.