Prohibited driver with outstanding warrant arrested with firearms, open liquor in vehicle
A traffic stop on Highway 15 led police to confirm their suspicions that the driver was prohibited from driving – and to discover that was not the only violation the driver was making, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
On Highway 15 in the Rideau Lakes Township, officers with the Leeds County Detachment of the OPP conducted a traffic stop at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Police confirmed that the driver was suspended from driving under the Highway Traffic Act, and further discover they had an outstanding warrant for failing to attend a court date for previous firearms-related offences. The driver was arrested and, during a subsequent search of the vehicle, officers located two firearms and ammunition, as well as an open container of liquor.
As a result, 36-year-old Donald Seward of Portland, Ontario, has been charged with:
- Two counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm
- Three counts of careless storage of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device, or ammunition
- Driving while under suspension
- Driving a motor vehicle with no currently validated permit
- Driving a motor vehicle with an open container of liquor
Seward was held for a bail hearing, the OPP said in a press release the following day, though the date of the hearing was not disclosed.