A Sudbury man is facing a baker’s dozen of charges after a taxi driver in Oro-Medonte made a call to police on Sept. 16.
Ontario Provincial Police Orillia Detachment officers were dispatched to a weapons complaint from a taxi driver on Highway 400, near Mount St. Louis Road, in Oro-Medonte on Saturday evening just after 8:45 p.m.
“A male en route to Sudbury demanded to be let out of a taxi,” the OPP states in a news release. “The male subsequently got out on the side of the highway, however left a quantity of cash, as well as a firearm in the rear of the taxi.”
The firearm prompted the taxi driver to call police. The OPP dispatched an Emergency Response Team, a Tactics and Rescue Unit, a canine unit and York Regional Police Service Air Support to find the man.
Police report shutting down Highway 400 in both directions while they searched for the man.
In the midst of looking for him, “police located another loaded firearm nearby along with a large quantity of what is believed to be cocaine, and a large quantity of cash,” but they still weren’t able to find the man himself.
The search continued for more than five hours, until approximately 2:35 a.m. on Sept. 17, when police received a complaint about a person walking along the highway.
“The person was located by police a short time later, identified as the same individual and was taken into custody,” the OPP said.
The investigation located two loaded handguns, ammunition, approximately 454 grams of cocaine and some $18,000 in Canadian currency, police report.
The 25-year-old man from Sudbury has been charged with:
- Careless storage of a firearm
- Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose (2 Counts)
- Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (2 Counts)
- Knowledge of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm (2 Counts)
- Occupant of Motor Vehicle knowing there was a Firearm (2 Counts)
- Possession of a Prohibited or Restricted Firearm (2 Counts)
- Tampering with the serial number of a Firearm
- Possession of a Schedule 1 Substance for the purpose of Trafficking - Opioid
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000.00
- Careless Storage of a Firearm
- Failure to Comply with Probation Order
- Failure to Comply with Release Order
- Unauthorized Possession of Weapon
The accused was held for a Sept. 17 bail hearing to answer to the charges.
