Northern Ont. man pulled over for drunk driving with child in car after allegedly assaulting spouse

A 38-year-old northern Ontario man is facing more than a dozen criminal charges after allegedly assaulting his spouse and then being pulled over for drunk driving with a child in the car a short while later.

Officers were called to deal with a domestic disturbance on Riverside Drive in Kapuskasing shortly before 8 p.m. last Friday, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Thursday morning.

"Police arrived on scene and the investigation led to officers to form grounds for many criminal charges including domestic assault and mischief, however, the accused had fled the scene prior to police arrival," OPP said.

The man was pulled over by police on Highway 11 in Fauquier-Strickland a short while later and identified as the suspect in the domestic disturbance, OPP said.

Inside the vehicle was a child passenger under 10 years old.

Now, the Kapuskasing man is charged with spousal assault, abandoning a child, three counts of having a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order, uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and damage to property, four counts of mischief, impaired driving, operation of a motor vehicle while impaired with a blood alcohol concentration of 80 or more, and having more than one licence.

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Under the Criminal Code of Canada, "everyone who unlawfully abandons or exposes a child who is under the age of 10 years, so that its life is or is likely to be endangered or its health is or is likely to be permanently injured, is guilty of abandoning a child."

"So it’s not just for abandoning a child, but also putting a child (under 10) in a situation where their health is endangered," OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer told CTVNewsNorthernOntario.ca in an email.

"In this case, a child was in the vehicle of a driver who was found to be impaired."

It is also against the law to apply for, secure or retain more than one driver's licence at a time.

He was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court March 18 in Kapuskasing.

"Due to the domestic nature of the incident, the name of the accused will not be released to protect the identity of the victim," OPP said.

Support for survivors

"Victims in abusive relationships are not alone," OPP said.

"If you are in an abusive relationship or know someone who is, there are local resources here to help."

• Timmins and District Victims Services crisis line 1-877-264-4208
• Assault women's helpline 1-866-863-0511 
• READ: 'It's not as simple as walking away': Crisis worker on why people stay in abusive relationships