A routine winter patrol led to the arrest of an impaired driver operating a snowmobile across the icy surface of Lake Nipissing

The Ontario Provincial Police are reminding residents that no amount of alcohol is safe when operating vehicles on ice, following an arrest made Sunday evening on Lake Nipissing.

North Bay OPP have charged a snowmobile operator with impaired driving following a patrol on the lake.

On Sunday, January 4, at 5:30 p.m., OPP officers stopped a sledder during evening patrols. The operator was found to have consumed alcohol and was arrested and taken to the North Bay OPP Detachment for further testing.

Cody Bell, 31, of Mississauga, is charged with operation while impaired – alcohol.

Bell was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on February 17 in North Bay. Additionally, he received a 90-day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension.

The OPP is actively patrolling Lake Nipissing and surrounding waterways throughout the winter.

“No amount of alcohol or drugs is acceptable when operating a snowmobile or any vehicle on ice,” says an OPP release.