Kingston woman facing criminal charges from 2020 Highway 401 collision
A driver who fled police, struck a cruiser, and flipped her vehicle, resulting in an inquest by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), is now facing multiple criminal charges.
On Thursday, Jul. 29, 2021, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) issued a press release announcing the charges, which stem from incidents that occurred late on Sunday, Oct. 25 and into the early morning of Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.
Those incidents began when a member of the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on Highway 401 westbound in the City of Kingston. The vehicle in question – a black Honda Civic – stopped, but then fled as the officer approached it, according to the OPP. Another officer in the area then attempted to stop the vehicle, which struck the OPP cruiser. Police then terminated their pursuit due to concerns for public safety, the OPP said at the time.
A short while later, just after midnight on Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, OPP officers responded to a single-vehicle rollover involving the same vehicle. That incident occurred on the westbound Highway 401 off ramp at Montreal Street, and resulted in a closure of that ramp for multiple hours. The driver of the vehicle was transported to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, according to the OPP. Kingston Fire and Rescue, Frontenac Paramedics, the OPP SIU, and the OPP Forensic Identification Unit all attended the scene.
Due to the collision involving the police cruiser, the SIU invoked its mandate. In February of 2021, the SIU released its findings, which cleared the officer involved in the pursuit and collision of any wrongdoing.
The ensuing investigation was completed on Monday, Jul. 26, 2021, according to the OPP, and the Frontenac OPP Detachment has now charged Lindsay Arthur, 31, of Kingston with the following criminal offences:
- Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
- Failure to stop after an accident
- Flight from a peace officer
- Operation of a motor vehicle while impaired – alcohol and drugs
- Operation of a motor vehicle while impaired – blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg per 10 mm of blood.
According to the OPP, Arthur was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Kingston in late August 2021.
