Drunk driver rear-ends SUV on section of Lougheed Hwy in Mission

MISSION — Drugs, drinking and drivers headlined Mission RCMP’s latest Community Connection this week.

On February 24, at around 3:30 p.m., a white pick-up truck travelling northbound on Sylvester Road lost control and crashed into a hydro pole just north of the Lougheed Highway – and brought down utility wires.

Two witnesses helped the driver, who was mildly injured, and Sylvester Road was closed for part of the afternoon to allow BC Hydro crews to repair the downed wires.

“Mission RCMP remind the public that downed utility wires can pose a serious safety risk,” said the Mounties. “Anyone who is in a vehicle that is involved in a crash where utility wires are pulled down should remain in their vehicle and wait for instructions from first responders, unless there is a fire or life-threatening injury.”

Police have determined that impairment was not a factor in this collision, but it was spotted in a rear-ender between a white Chevrolet Traverse and a red Infiniti SUV at around 11:20 a.m. on February 28 at the intersection of the Lougheed and Cedar Valley Connector.

Officers arrived to find the Traverse driver still seated and seemingly struggling to know how to turn her vehicle off.

The driver was observed to have unsteady feet and liquor on her breath, but she allegedly declined to comply with giving a breath sample and was arrested for the refusal. She was then taken to jail to sober up.

Charges are being recommended against the 57-year-old Burnaby woman. The other vehicle’s occupants reported no serious injuries.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or who recalls seeing a white Chevrolet Traverse driving in that area just after 11 p.m. on February 28 is asked to call Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161 and quote file 2026-2634.

Finally, on March 4, an officer arrested a man who had stolen a bottle of wine from a grocery store also located on the Lougheed Highway and found that the same man had generated nine other calls for service for Mission police in February alone.

Nearly all calls were related to his intoxication in public, all leading to him either being taken to hospital or to jail “for his own safety”.

“When general duty officers identify someone who is struggling with addiction to such an extent, they regularly try to connect the person with Mission RCMP’s Mental Health Liaison officer, healthcare staff, or community outreach workers, who are in a better position to try to support the person on a longer-term basis,” explained RCMP.

Officers have also arrested a 50-year-old man slumped over a picnic table a week prior for possession of a controlled substance, and Mounties have since seized suspected crack, Fentanyl and meth on his person, along with a “considerable” amount of cash and other items consistent with drug trafficking. That investigation is ongoing.

Police responded to a total of 342 calls for service in the week of February 23 to March 1, according to Mission RCMP’s community round-up.