OPP say a crane that was impounded last week after it was crashed by an allegedly impaired driver in Prescott, Ont., was in another mishap within minutes of being picked up from the impound lot on Wednesday.
According to OPP, officers were called to Second Concession Road in Maitland, Ont., Wednesday around 6:30 p.m. after a crane crashed into a ditch. The crash took place less than one kilometre away from an impound lot where OPP say the driver had just picked it up.
This crane found its way into the impound lot on Oct. 14., when OPP officers were called to the Water and Edward streets area in Prescott after a crane reportedly struck a powerline, surrounding trees and posts as well as a nearby water fountain before fleeing.
OPP say they caught up with the crane as it was being driven westbound on Highway 401 near Brockville, Ont.
Matthew Hinton, a 62-year-old of Collingwood, Ont., was arrested and faces a multitude of both criminal and Highway Traffic Act charges, including impaired driving, failure to remain at the scene of a collision and driving with a G1 class licence on a highway.
The crane remained in the lot until Oct. 21, when it was picked up by an unidentified driver. Police say they will not be releasing the name of the driver in the second incident because they are only facing Highway Traffic Act charges.
The driver in the second incident was charged with driving while under a suspension, operating a commercial vehicle with no valid commercial vehicle operator registration certificate and driving a motor vehicle without a permit.