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Broadcast time: 3:10pm |
Date: July 2nd, 2021 |
A 34 year old male from Georgetown, Ontario who frequents the Sarnia area has been arrested and charged with numerous drug and driving related offences.
On July 1st, 2021, just prior to 4pm, Sarnia Police responded to a call in the area of Capel and Admiral Street regarding a motor vehicle in the care of a male driver, who had been slumped over the wheel for nearly 20 minutes with the car still in drive.
Upon arrival, officers observed this car sitting between the southbound vehicle and bicycle lanes on Capel Street. Officers also recognized the accused, who is known to police, seated in the driver’s seat while slumped over with his foot on the brake and the engine running. The accused is known to flee from police when he is in the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle.
Officers then set up a stationary block using two police cruisers parked at the front and back of this vehicle to prevent the driver from fleeing and to ensure public safety. Reasonable grounds were formed to believe the accused was impaired by a drug and, as a result, it was necessary to break the driver’s side window to safely make an arrest and to check on his welfare.
Upon breaking the driver’s window, the accused woke up and observed officers on scene. He immediately turned the steering wheel to the left while accelerating in an attempt to flee the area. He accelerated the vehicle in such a manner that it pushed the front police cruiser forward nearly 2 meters. Officers, fearing for their life in this situation, had to forcefully remove the accused from the driver’s seat. Once removed from the vehicle, the driver was placed under arrest for impaired operation of a motor vehicle, resist peace officer, and dangerous driving.
Officers searched the immediate area where the driver was seated and located a total of $6,670.00 in cash in addition to drug paraphernalia and a significant amount of suspected controlled substances including:
- 156.8 grams of fentanyl with a street value of $78,400.00
- 34.8 grams of cocaine with a street value of $4,176.00
- 6.8 grams of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of $680.00
The total combined amount of controlled substances and cash seized was $89,926.00.
The accused was taken to Sarnia Police Headquarters after first being transported to hospital for a medical assessment. Allegedly, the accused also refused to comply with a blood demand that was read to him.
Brent Matthew Sproule is now facing the following 19 criminal charges:
- Operation of a Conveyance While Prohibited X 12
- Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance
- Operation of a Conveyance While Impaired
- Refusal to Comply With Blood Demand
- Obstruct Peace Officer
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Fentanyl
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Cocaine
- Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking – Methamphetamine
Brent Matthew Sproule was held for a bail hearing and has since been remanded into custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, July 5th, 2021.
Thankfully, as a result of the officer’s decisions based on their training and experience, no one was injured in this incident when the driver attempted to flee. The Sarnia Police Service would also like to thank the public for reporting these types of calls to police.
Constable Nelson Amaral
Community Services Branch
Tel: 519-344-8861 Ext 6137
Email: namaral@police.sarnia.on.ca