Northern teen charged with impaired driving after truck found stuck in snowbank

Efforts to reduce impaired driving in the northeast seem to be working in some communities – provincial police say stats are still high.

A 19-year-old man from Kingfisher Lake First Nation faces impaired driving charges after police found him unconscious in a pickup truck stuck in a snowbank Wednesday night.

Drunk man slumped on steering wheel in his car A stock image of a man slumped on the steering wheel in his car. (File photo/Wavebreakmedia/GettyImages)

The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service said officers responded to a call just before 11 p.m. on April 10 about a vehicle off the road near the First Nation community’s school.

Upon arrival, police observed a grey pickup truck lodged in a snowbank across from the school.

“Officers approached the vehicle and located a male in the driver’s seat who showed signs of being impaired by alcohol,” said police in a news release.

As a result of the incident, the teen was charged with impaired driving.

Under provincial legislation, the accused’s driver’s licence was also automatically suspended for 90 days and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days at the owner’s expense.

The accused was subsequently released with conditions and a future court appearance date.

Nishnawbe Aski Police vehicle - winter An undated photo of a Nishnawbe Aski Police Service vehicle with its lights on parked near the airport in Cochrane, Ont. (File photo/Nishnawbe Aski Police Service)