the OPP
On July 10 around 3:15 a.m., Treaty #3 Police and Rainy River District OPP officers were notified of a vehicle in a ditch on Highway 11 at Couchiching First Nation.
The driver was reported as being impaired.
At the same time police were responding, an off-duty OPP officer came across the vehicle as the driver was trying to drive it out of the ditch.
The officer stopped the driver’s action and remained on scene with him until on-duty officers arrived.
T3PS officers attended, arrested the driver, and returned him to the detachment for breath tests.
An investigation revealed the male driver had stolen a vehicle from a residence in Fort Frances just prior to the accident.
The vehicle was damaged and subsequently towed.
As morning came, the owner of the pickup truck recognized his truck was missing and called the OPP to report it stolen.
Jason Kelly Ottertail Jr., 19, of Couchiching First Nation, was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,00, and driving while disqualified.
He also was charged with two counts of failing to comply with a court order.
The teen was remanded into custody, with his next appearance scheduled for July 19.
About half of all stolen vehicles are used to commit another crime or are driven–often recklessly–for simple purposes of transportation (this is called “destination theft”).
In these cases, the thieves usually are amateurs who take advantage of owner negligence by grabbing the first vehicle they can find that’s been left unsecured (with or without keys).
The key to protecting your vehicle is in your hands. Keep yourself from becoming an easy target by properly securing your vehicle and your keys.
Remember: “Lock It or Lose It!”
