Three impaired drivers got engaged in face-to-face meetings with members of the Estevan Police Service on March 21 and 22 and will be making face-to-face acquaintances with a judge fairly soon as a result of their actions.
The driver of the first vehicle stopped by police on March 21 was pulled over for a speeding infraction, but a check on his condition indicated he was impaired. A further check showed that the driver was also in breach of some court ordered conditions so he was held in custody overnight and released later with an April court date.
On March 22, police checked on the driver of a vehicle that was being driven erratically in the city's central business district. A 19-year-old Yorkton woman was arrested and now has an April court date.
Later that same evening, a man was noted to be behind the wheel of a vehicle that was parked in the parking lot near a local lounge. The subject was passed out, so he was arrested and taken to the police station and the 25-year-old Estevanite also has an April court date.
On the night of March 23, EPS members arrested a 25-year-old Estevan man and charged him with uttering threats and for being in possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. The charges arose after police were called to a local residence where an intoxicated man was wielding a knife and threatening to stab the residents and guests in the home. Police took the man into custody without further incident and he was later released under strict conditions pending his court appearance scheduled for April 30. Details surrounding the incident are still under investigation.
A 17-year-old female youth was arrested and lodged in cells for her own safety after she was discovered in an extremely intoxicated state on the night of March 23. She was charged for being intoxicated in public and it was noted that she also had some outstanding warrants for her arrest, which will be addressed during her court appearance.
A 33-year-old Estevan woman was arrested by being intoxicated in public on the night of March 23 and she too, was lodged in cells for her own protection after police noticed her stumbling out in the middle of a street.
A third woman was taken into custody following a dispute at a local business. She had been seen to be drinking and was in an intoxicated state, so she was lodged in cells until she gained sobriety.
That same night, a 22-year-old man was arrested for public intoxication following a disturbance on the city's west side. He was released after regaining sobriety.
EPS members also reported that an assault complaint was registered with their office on March 23. The incident apparently took place at a local lounge and police members have set up an investigation.
On March 24, a 47-year-old man was arrested and charged with impaired driving and driving while his blood-alcohol content was over .08 per cent. Police spotted the man leaving a local lounge and then driving in an erratic manner which prompted the traffic stop and subsequent investigation. He is now slated for an April 30 court date.
Another driver, a 22-year-old, was also charged for impaired driving after he was stopped by police near a local convenience store. He too, has an April 30 court date.
Police were called to a local night club on three separate occasions on the night of March 24. The first call involved a report of a fight which had started inside the lounge and had moved outside. The people involved in the fracas were sent on their way after being spoken to by police. The second incident also involved a fight that had ended prior to police arrival while the third was in response to an assault complaint which is being looked into.
A complaint emanating from another lounge led to EPS members checking into a report that two people were refusing to leave the premises near the official closing time after being asked to do so by staff members. The person in question then left before police arrived but the matter remains under investigation.
A 29-year-old man was arrested and lodged in cells on a charge of public intoxication after he approached police at a local convenience store while in an extremely intoxicated state. It was evident, police say, that he had been in a fight so he was taken to the hospital for treatment prior to being lodged in cells for the evening for his own safety. He was released later.
