Four Smiths Falls area youths facing drug, weapons charges after Jan. 1 flight from police
OPP report that four youths, three 15-year-olds and one 12-year-old, are facing charges after multiple incidents stretching from Smiths Falls to Cornwall, which included an attempt to flee from police in Kemptville.
Early on Wednesday, Jan. 1, a car, which had earlier been reported stolen, was involved in several reports of dangerous driving in and around Smiths Falls, police report over social media. During one attempt to stop the vehicle in Kemptville, an OPP officer “narrowly avoided being struck by the car as the driver attempted to flee.”
The vehicle eventually ended up going off the road in the Spencerville area, where officers arrested four individuals without further incident. A quantity of suspected cocaine, other drugs, alcohol and weapons were found in the car. The response included officers from the Grenville County, Ottawa, Leeds County and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry Detachments of the OPP and Smiths Falls Police Service (SFPS), as well as the OPP Emergency Response Team and OPP TIME team.
A 15-year-old female from Tay Valley Township has been charged with:
•Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
•Flight from a peace officer
•Dangerous operation of a vehicle
•Possession of a Schedule 1 substance
•Possession of a Schedule 3 substance
•Failure to comply with an undertaking
A 15-year-old male, a 15-year-old female, a 12-year-old female, all from Smiths Falls, have been charged with:
•Possession of a Schedule 1 substance
•Possession of a Schedule 3 substance
•Possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime-over $5,000
The 15-year-old male faces an additional charge of failure to comply with an undertaking.
The Smiths Falls Police has also charged the male with:
•Dangerous operation of a vehicle
•Flight from a peace officer
•Possession of property obtained by crime-over $5,000
Two of the accused were held for bail hearings, while the other two were released with scheduled court appearances.
“The OPP can confirm that the incidents are connected to earlier SFPS reports of missing teenagers,” police state.
The names of the accused cannot be released or reported under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Police say another incident in the City of Cornwall remains under investigation.