A 31-year-old man from Sault Ste. Marie is facing several charges after Ontario Provincial Police determined he fabricated a road rage assault to cover up an impaired driving incident.
Around 3:15 a.m. on October 9, officers responded to reports of a possible impaired driver whose vehicle had gone into a ditch along Highway 17 in Sables-Spanish Rivers Township. Shortly after, the driver contacted police claiming he had been assaulted during a road rage encounter.
When officers arrived, they administered a roadside breath test, which the man failed. He was taken into custody, and investigators later confirmed that the alleged assault never happened.
The man has been charged with public mischief for providing false information, as well as two impaired driving-related offences, including having a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit. His licence was suspended for 90 days and his vehicle impounded for seven.
He is set to appear in court in Espanola on November 17.