(ASTORVILLE, ON) – Twelve drivers have been charged with impaired driving offences by the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in the month of July 2025. One of those individuals was arrested following a single-vehicle rollover collision involving a side-by-side that struck a hydro pole in Astorville.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at approximately 6:30 p.m., the North Bay OPP, East Ferris Fire Department, and District of Nipissing Paramedic Services responded to a report of a rolled-over side-by-side vehicle on Booth Road in Astorville. The vehicle had collided with a hydro pole. The driver was transported by ambulance to hospital, where officers determined the individual had been consuming alcohol. Further testing was completed on site at the hospital.
As a result of the investigation, Kenneth SMITHARD, 58 years-of-age from Winona, has been charged with:
- Operation while impaired – alcohol
- Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)
- Operation while prohibited under the criminal code
- Careless driving
- Driver – fail to properly wear seat belt
- Fail to wear proper helmet
- Operate a motor vehicle without insurance
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on Tuesday, August 19, 2025. Additionally, the individual received a 90-day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension (ADLS), and the vehicle was impounded for 45 days.
Drivers who are impaired by drugs or alcohol continue to pose a significant threat on Ontario roads. The OPP remains committed to removing these drivers through enforcement and public education.