Police say a 43-year-old northern Ontario man called 911 to claim his spouse was driving drunk, when in fact he was driving impaired — and had assaulted his partner a night earlier.
Now, the Aweres Township man is charged with intimate partner violence, impaired driving and public mischief.
He called 911 around 3:40 a.m. March 3 claiming his partner was driving under the influence and had just left their residence, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Wednesday.
Officers from the Sault Ste. Marie detachment did not locate the suspected vehicle on Highway 17 in Goulais River, but did find the caller driving on the highway in Aweres Township, OPP said.
“A traffic stop was conducted, and investigation determined the driver had consumed alcoholic beverages. Officers also confirmed the driver had intentionally misled police when reporting that their partner was driving impaired,” police said.
“Further investigation revealed the driver had also assaulted their partner the previous evening.”
The man is charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by alcohol and having a blood alcohol concentration of 80 or more, public and domestic mischief, spousal assault, spousal assault causing bodily harm and forcible confinement.
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He was released following a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice later this month in Sault Ste. Marie.
“Due to the domestic nature of the incident, the name of the accused will not be released to protect the identity of the victim,” OPP said.
- Safety planning strategies and other support services
- READ: ‘It’s not as simple as walking away’: Crisis worker on why people stay in abusive relationships
- READ: Advocates push Ontario, federal governments for change in dealing with IPV incidents
Agencies that can help:
- Assaulted Women’s Helpline 1-866-863-0511
- Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline 1-833-900-1010
- Centre Victoria pour femmes 705-670-2517
- Family Information Liaison Unit 1-844-888-8610
- Ligne FEM-AIDE Provincial 1-877-336-2433
- Manitoulin Family Resources 705-377-5160
- SAVS-Sudbury and Area Victim Services 705-522-6970
- Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre 705-675-1596
- Sudbury Counselling Centre 705-524-9629 x 218
- Sudbury Women’s Ctr (Workshops) 705-673-1916
- Talk 4 Healing 1-855-554-4325
- VIPP - Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (HSN) 705-675-4743
- Voices for Women (Sexual Assault) 705-671-5495
- YWCA Genevra House Abuse Line 705-674-2210 or Toll Free 1-800-461-0133
