Early Morning Snooze Leads to Drug Impaired Driving Charges in Sault Ste. Marie

Picture this: It's the quiet pre-dawn hours of a Sunday morning in Sault Ste. Marie. Most people are sound asleep, dreaming away, or perhaps just starting to stir for an early coffee. But for some folks navigating Wellington Street East, near Peoples Road, the scene that unfolded around 3:30 a.m. on July 7th was anything but peaceful or ordinary.

Emergency services received a rather peculiar call. There was a black pickup truck, just sitting there, completely stationary and effectively blocking a lane of traffic. Now, a breakdown can happen to anyone, of course, but what officers from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service discovered upon arrival painted a far more concerning picture. The driver, identified as 33-year-old Daniel Desgagnes, was found sound asleep behind the wheel.

You can only imagine the immediate safety concerns. A vehicle blocking a road, particularly in the middle of the night, poses a significant hazard not just to other drivers, but potentially to emergency responders as well. It didn't take long for officers on scene to suspect that Desgagnes wasn't just tired; his impairment, they believed, was due to drugs. This isn't just a simple nap; it's a very serious situation that put others at risk.

So, as you might expect, Daniel Desgagnes now faces a couple of serious charges. He's been charged with operation while impaired by drugs, which is obviously a big deal for public safety. On top of that, he's also facing a charge of obstructing a highway. He was subsequently released from custody, but not without a clear date to appear in court, which is set for August 12th.

This incident, though thankfully without any reported injuries, serves as a really stark reminder of the dangers inherent when someone chooses to get behind the wheel while impaired. It's not just a personal choice; it affects everyone sharing our roads. Stay safe out there, folks.