Provincial police have laid impaired driving charges against a London man accused of stealing a transport truck involved in a crash east of St. Thomas early Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 7 a.m., Elgin County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a complaint about a transport truck that was travelling south on Belmont Road in Central Elgin.
Not long after, police responded to a two-vehicle crash involving a transport truck and a passenger vehicle near the intersection of Belmont Road and Helkaa Line.
“It was determined that the involved transport truck, which had been reported stolen to Middlesex County OPP, left the roadway, and entered the ditch,” read a news release from the OPP. “A passenger vehicle, which had been following the transport truck, also entered a nearby ditch while attempting to avoid a collision with the transport truck.”
The driver of the transport ran from the scene of the crash, police said. He was located at around 7:13 a.m. and taken into custody.
No injuries were reported by the three occupants inside the passenger vehicle or the driver of the transport truck.
Officers closed part of Belmont Road Tuesday while police investigated and crews worked to clear the scene.
A 38-year-old London man is charged with theft over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, failing to stop after a crash, and two counts of operation while impaired.
The accused was held in police custody for a bail hearing.
