PETERBOROUGH-Peterborough County OPP officers have charged one person with multiple offences stemming from a traffic complaint on Highway 7.
On Friday April 5, 2024, the Peterborough County OPP received a call about a black pickup truck driving erratically westbound on Highway 7. Police say an officer travelling eastbound observed the vehicle and managed to obtain a speed reading of 162km/hr in the posted 80km/hr zone. The officer was unable to safely conduct a turn to attempt to stop the vehicle due to traffic but radioed ahead to other officers in the direction that the pickup was travelling where a second OPP officer observed the vehicle and activated the cruisers emergency lights in effort to stop the vehicle. Information was obtained through the OPP Communication Centre that the vehicle in question had been reported as stolen that morning from Peterborough City. According to police the vehicle continued through two intersections without making any effort to pull over. An additional OPP officer joined in and between the two officers, were able to safely bring the vehicle to a stop.
Police say the driver of the vehicle was arrested and during a search incident to arrest, officers located three cell phones which were later determined to have been stolen. The driver was also found to be prohibited from driving according to police.
33-year-old Tee-Jay Athanasi of Peterborough was arrested and charged with:
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Over $5,000
- Operation While Prohibited under the Criminal Code
- Flight from peace officer
- Dangerous operation
- Fail to Comply with Probation Order
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime Under $5,000 (two counts)
The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on May 7, 2024.
