No arrests have been made in connection with an Aug. 22 police chase through Mapleton Township that caused minor damage to public and private property.
Wellington OPP offered no additional details on the case, when contacted recently by the Wellington Advertiser.
“There is an ongoing investigation,” stated Wellington OPP media relations officer Bob Bortolato in a Sept. 5 email.
Sergeant Pat Horrigan said the OPP are urging anyone with information about the incident to call Wellington OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at www.crimestoppersguelphwellington.com.
On Aug. 22, a vehicle ripped through the Drayton Memorial Park and tore down the cenotaph flagpole.
The vehicle, which had led police on a chase starting in Moorefield, ran directly through the park’s archway at the corner of Wellington and Wood streets, narrowly missing the stone pillars on each side.
Described by police as a small beige pickup, the vehicle then ran into the flagpole to the left of the cenotaph, ripping it to the ground, and coming within feet of the cenotaph itself.
From there the truck travelled behind the Studio Factor building on Wood Street, running into a shed and causing some other minor damage before eventually heading back out the way it came.
“As the truck entered the downtown intersection attempts to stop it were discontinued in the interest of public safety,” the OPP stated in an Aug. 26 press release.
As evidenced by the trail of oil around the scene, reports indicate at some point the vehicle was damaged – likely as a result of the collision with the flagpole – and began to lose oil.
The vehicle eventually stopped on Wellington Road 11, reportedly due to a lack of oil and fluids, and the two occupants of the vehicle fled on foot. OPP officers, aided by the canine unit, were unsuccessful in tracking down the suspects.
Police said the vehicle had been involved in a criminal offence, but declined to specify the nature of the offence and would not confirm whether or not the truck was stolen.
Police say the chase began in Moorefield after an OPP officer observed the truck fail to stop at the intersection of Concession 8 and Wellington Road 10. The truck then accelerated away from police southeast on Concession 8, eventually turning left on Wellington Road 11 and heading into Drayton.
