Suspected drunk snowmobiler passes out

A 38-year-old man was found passed out beside his snowmobile March 3, and has been charged for impaired after he was found with three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, said Greater Sudbury Police Service.

Officers were called at 10 p.m. to an area near Wahnapitae, where people found a flipped-over snowmobile and a man laying beside it.

While police and EMS were en route, the man right-sided the machine, started it, and left the area.

A short time later, the responding officers were flagged down on Highway 537 by a snowplow driver, who pointed out a snowmobile and a man laying on his back in the snow beside it.

Officers confirmed it was the same snowmobile and driver they had been searching for, and that the driver had not been ejected from the machine as a result of a collision.

“It appeared as though the machine had been brought to a stop, then the driver toppled off it into the snow,” said a news release. “After significant efforts, police were able to awaken the sleeping male. As the male conversed with police they noted a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage on the male’s breath as he spoke through his helmet.”

Additional signs of impairment were noted and the man was arrested. He was taken to police headquarters, where he provided breath samples in excess of three times the legal limit. He was also found to be in possession of a small quantity of a substance believed to be marijuana, said police.

He is charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, excess over 80 mgs, and
possession of a controlled substance.

He is being held pending a bail hearing.