Off-Duty Officer Arrests Impaired Driver

A 21-year-old male from Camlachie was recently arrested for Impaired Driving.

On July 4th, 2020, at approximately 7 pm, a Sarnia Police Officer was on his way home from work on his motorcycle when he was nearly struck by a vehicle that raced through a red light at Christina and Maxwell Street. This vehicle was driving a very high rate of speed and nearly struck a cyclist as it continued southbound toward London Road.

The vehicle was followed by the officer who observed it driving erratically, squealing its tires and fishtailing while failing to stop at two additional stop signs. The driver was eventually forced to stop in the area of George and Russell Street because of halted traffic at this intersection. At this time, the officer was able to pull alongside this vehicle, identify himself accordingly and speak with this driver.

The involved driver had a strong odour of alcohol on his breath and attempted to grab the officer’s badge out of his hand when it was shown to him. During this time, the officer noticed signs of impairment including slurred speech, watery eyes and unsteadiness while standing. A beer can was also observed in the center console of this vehicle. As a result, the off-duty officer placed the driver under arrest and called for assistance. The arrest was continued by a responding on-duty officer who transported the driver to Sarnia Police Headquarters for breath tests where the accused registered over 2.5 times the legal limit.

The accused, Joshua Allen Hogarth was charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance and Operation of a Conveyance with 80mg of Alcohol or more in 100ml of Blood. His vehicle has been impounded for 7 days and his licence is automatically suspended for 90 days.