Partygoers were found to be on their best behaviour last weekend, as Cochrane RCMP and Alberta Sheriffs took to Highway 1A for a checkstop.
Over the course of the two-hour checkstop, officers issued one 24-hour licence suspension and one Alberta Zero Alcohol Tolerance (AZAT) suspension, according to Cpl. Troy Savinkoff of the Cochrane detachment.
Operated in conjunction with Calgary Police Service, the stop occurred near the intersection of Bow Valley Trail and 12 Mile Coulee Road on Dec. 13.
“This time of year, with holidays parties and the increased visibility of checkstop campaigns, it inspires compliance,” said Savinkoff. “More people are consciously using designated drivers.”
Later that same night, Savinkoff said two suspected impaired drivers were apprehended by RCMP.
One was driving westbound on Highway 1A just east of Cochrane.
The other was also pulled over on Highway 1A, just west of the junction with Highway 22.
This won’t be the last of the impaired driving checkstops this season. RCMP encourages residents of Cochrane and the surrounding area to drink responsibly, and always have a plan to arrive home safe and sound.
No injuries were reported following a single vehicle rollover along Highway 1 Dec. 11.
The tan-coloured truck left the road near Scott Lake Hill at about 1 p.m. According to the police report, the truck was travelling westbound when it hit the ditch and rolled.
The slick road conditions are believed to have played a factor in the crash, said Savinkoff.
The search continues for Nicholas Hoefnagels, the Cochrane man who went missing near Canal Flats, B.C., June 9.
Hoefnagels was taking part in a camping trip at Whitetail Lake when he and Stephen Thomson were reported missing.
The truck the men were travelling in was located in Findlay Creek mid-June.
Thomson’s body was located about 10 kilometres downstream from the truck on July 4.
Cpl. Chris Newel told the Eagle that an aerial search of the area was completed in September and October in an effort to locate Hoefnagels. Both searches came up empty-handed.
