Barrie Police have arrested a 35-year-old man and charged him with impaired driving after a concerned citizen called 911 to report a street sweeper driving erratically on Lockhart Road in Barrie.
Officers were called on Thursday night at around 7:14 p.m.
“As responding officers made their way to the area, additional information was received that focused on the driving behaviour of person operating a street sweeper,” a release states.
“The street sweeper was seen being driven into oncoming traffic and being operated erratically before it left the road and became stuck in a ditch.”
Investigators said the suspect was trying to remove the street sweeper from the ditch when officers arrived and was showing “obvious signs of impairment.”
He was arrested on scene for operation while impaired (alcohol or drug) and was taken to Barrie Police Headquarters where he allegedly refused to provide a breath sample, leading to an additional charge of failure or refusal to comply with demand.
The street sweeper was impounded for seven days and his driver’s licence was suspended for 90 days.
Barrie Police say the suspect, who they did name, was employed by a private company based in the GTA and was not actively sweeping when he entered the ditch.
It’s not clear yet why he was operating the vehicle in Barrie.