RCMP Traffic Services East arrests impaired driver crossing on the Bell Island ferry
A vehicle operator traveling on the Bell Island ferry was charged with failing to comply with a demand as part of an impaired operation investigation by RCMP Traffic Services East on Wednesday.
On Dec. 31, at approximately 1:30 p.m., an off-duty RCMP officer aboard the Bell Island ferry observed a man they believed to be impaired who had driven his vehicle onto the vessel. That officer reported the suspected impaired driver, and police prepared to meet him at the landing on Bell Island.
The driver — a 35-year-old Torbay man — was intercepted by an officer with RCMP Traffic Services East at the terminal. He showed signs of impairment and police provided a demand for a breath sample. The driver refused to provide a sample and was charged with failure or refusal to comply with a demand.
At the time of his arrest, police also located a radar detection device in his vehicle, and he was charged under the Highway Traffic Act for care and control of a vehicle equipped with a radar detector.
The man’s vehicle was seized and impounded, and his driver’s licence was suspended. He was released to appear in St. John’s Provincial Court in February 2026.