Drinking and Driving

In May, police reported charges in 21 (!) separate occurrences, including one on Lake Ontario.

Eight of these were in response to citizen complaints and four of the individuals charged live in Burlington. On May 19, in the area of Upper Middle Road and Cavendish Drive, William Campbell of Niagara Falls was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. Another complaint in the area of Walker’s Line and Palladium Way resulted in David Wilson of Waterdown being charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 17, Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) responded to a complaint in the area of Dynes Road and Prospect Street, and Baljit Dhanjal of Mississauga was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 16, in the area of Lakeshore Road and Torrance Street, Antonino Ingarra was charged with driving with a blood drug concentration while impaired. On May 15, in the area of Walker’s Line and Constable Henshaw Boulevard, Amarjit Ghag was charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 13, in the area of Strathcona Drive and Apple Valley Lane, Hasan Ataner was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 8, in the area of Guelph Line and South Service Road, Calvin Pepper was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. On May 5, in the area of Brant Street and Mount Forest Drive, Stephen Forde of Guelph was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired.

Traffic stops by the HRPS resulted in seven individuals being charged this month, three of them Burlington residents. On May 23, in the area of Lakeshore Road and Eastport Drive, Joseph Barbosa of Hamilton was charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 20, in the area of Emerald Street and Woodland Avenue, Brian Allan was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 18, in the area of Dunvegan Road and Blythewood Road, Timothy Babcock was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 12, In the area of Plains Road East and King Road, Rebekah Buchanan of Hamilton was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. On May 6, in the area of Plains Road East and Falcon Boulevard, Toni Gillis of Stoney Creek was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 4, in the area of Millcroft Park and Turnberry Drive, Aidan Kinlough was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. On May 2, in the area of Maple Avenue and Richmond Road, Ewan Cunningham of Oakville was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired.

Four collisions resulted in charges for two Burlington residents this month. On May 15, in the area of Plains Road East and King Road, Madelyn Andrew was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. On May 13, in the area of Number 1 Side Road and Walker’s Line, Brandon Hunter of Scarborough was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired. On May 12, in the area of Guelph Line and Number 25 Side Road in Milton, Meghan Murray was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more. On May 5, in the area of Appleby Line and Brittania Road, Antonio Madero of Hamilton was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while impaired and driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more.

On May 18, HRPS responded to a complaint on Lake Ontario in the area of Beachway Park. Cameron Bryan was charged with operation of a conveyance (i.e., something used for transportation; here, a boat) with a blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood.

On May 20 during a R.I.D.E. initiative in the area of Plains Road East and the Niagara-bound QEW exit, Kayla Luis of Cambridge was charged with driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg or more.

“Whether you are a motorcyclist, a pedestrian, a driver or a cyclist…road safety starts with YOU.”

Canada Road Safety Week is a national campaign to make Canada’s roads the safest in the world. Impaired driving, distracted driving, aggressive driving, and not wearing a seatbelt puts drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and other road users at risk. “There is no excuse to justify unsafe driving behaviour. It is simply #NotWorthTheRisk.”

Online commentary can be misleading, so we contacted the HRPS about the meaning of the term “impaired driving.” Constable Ryan Anderson noted that the term is used by police and the Criminal Code to describe any type of impairment including drugs or alcohol. Interestingly, a person may be impaired with a blood alcohol level below the legal limit defined by the Criminal Code.

Drug-Related Occurrences

On May 12, HRPS arrested Derval Mitchell and Chavon Douglas after a lengthy drug investigation. A loaded firearm, multiple rounds of ammunition, more than $19,000 cash, 57 grams of cocaine, and 32 grams of MDMA (commonly known as ecstasy or molly) were seized. Each was charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine; possession of MDMA for the purpose of trafficking; two counts of possession of property obtained by crime; unauthorized possession of a firearm; defaced serial number on a weapon; possession of a firearm knowing its possession is unauthorized; possession of a prohibited firearm with ammunition; two counts of careless storage; two counts of contravention of storage regulations; unauthorized possession of a prohibited device (for example, a weapon) and knowledge of unauthorized possession of a prohibited device; failure to report lost, stolen, found weapons, and dangerous weapons. Mitchell was also charged with three counts of possession contrary to an order and was held for a bail hearing. Douglas was released pending a June court appearance.

On April 27, Nicklauss Ancion of Brampton and Megan Noble of no fixed address in Burlington were arrested after a drug trafficking investigation. Noble was charged with breaching probation and possession of a controlled substance (fentanyl). Ancion, in possession of a knife at the time of the arrest, was charged with possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking fentanyl, obstruction with intent to resist arrest, and dangerous weapons. Officers seized approximately five grams of fentanyl and a small amount of cash.

Graffiti incidents involving profane language and offensive slurs were reported to HRPS on May 9 and are being investigated.

Missing Persons

On May 10, HRPS asked for the public’s assistance in locating two teenagers. Thankfully, these teenagers have since been located.

This overview of occurrences related to Burlington is provided with thanks to the Halton Regional Police Service. All suspects named are from Burlington, unless otherwise noted. Remember that all persons charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The occurrences in this article were described in e-updates that include Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville. If you would like regular updates, subscribe to Community Notifications at https://www.haltonpolice.ca/en/news-and-updates/community-notifications.aspx.