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Oak Bay man refuses to stop drinking beer, gets $230 ticket

‘An expensive lesson,’ says Deputy Chief
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A 31-year-old man who refused to stop drinking his beer (in the presence of an Oak Bay Police officer) outside the plaza on Foul Bay Road was issued a $230 ticket. (Google Streetview)

An Oak Bay Police officer was injured during an alleged struggle with a suspected impaired driver last week.

Police responded Thursday, Jan. 23, to a hit-and-run in the 1500-block of Beach Drive where a suspect had crashed their car into a parked car before fleeing the scene. The impact left considerable damage on the parked car, said Oak Bay Police Deputy Chief Ray Bernoties.

“Witnesses were able to obtain the license plate of the fleeing vehicle,” Bernoties said. “In this case, the driver was followed to her residence by a concerned citizen”

Upon confronting the suspected driver, police observed symptoms of impairment and attempted to arrest her when a violent struggle ensued.

“[She] kicked at our officers repeatedly,” Bernoties said. “This occurred while her very young children were home.”

It left one of the officers with an injury.

The driver was transported to the hospital for a medical assessment and is being criminally charged for assaulting a police officer, for failing to provide a blood sample and for the hit and run. The unoccupied parked vehicle will most likely be a write-off, Bernoties added.

Police seek additional witnesses regarding the incident and can be reached at 250-592-2424 (file #2020-261).

READ MORE: Thief steals donation box, tip jar from Oak Bay businesses

The impaired driver was one of many calls the Oak Bay police responded to between Jan. 19 and 26.

The oddest call of the week went to a 31-year-old male who insisted on enjoying his beer, at 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, outside the plaza at 2800 Foul Bay Rd. (home of Chiarelli’s Cheese Shop and Delicatessen, Hot House Pizza and Tomley’s Market).

The attending officer requested the male stop drinking the beer yet he chose to continue drinking.

It resulted in a $230 ticket.

“I’ve paid too much for a beer before but I’ve never come close to that. It’s an expensive lesson but only time will tell if he learned from it,” Bernoties said.

Oak Bay police were also involved in a life-saving incident last week, also on Thursday.

Const. Sheri Lucas responded to a call for help just in time to save a man from drowning. Lucas was first on the scene to an extremely unlucky situation where a man was working in a pump tank.

He was headfirst in the tank, which drains excess stormwater when he slipped in and become lodged under a pipe. Lucas was able to hold the man’s head out of the water, which was gathering in the tank, until firefighters arrived.

Among the reports of theft of a donation box from a local business on Oak Bay Avenue. The female suspect was captured by a store surveillance camera but she is yet unidentified.

On Tuesday a car was stolen in the 2200-block of Windsor Road. It was recovered in Saanich on Saturday. Saanich. Police are now processing the vehicle for fingerprints.

READ MORE: Oak Bay cop rescues man who fell headfirst into a pump tank

The recent string of marine-related thefts continued on Wednesday as a six-horsepower Yamaha outboard motor was reported stolen from Oak Bay Marina.

On Sunday, a bicycle was reported stolen from a storage locker of a building in the 1100-block of Newport Avenue. The bike was discovered Monday during a search of a local residence.

reporter@oakbaynews.com

- This story was updated to include the recovery of the stolen bicycle.


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