The Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) has told PelhamToday that officers from 3 Division (Welland/Pelham) charged a Wainfleet man with impaired driving after investigating a single-vehicle collision in Fonthill.
Early Monday morning, Nov. 20, emergency service personnel responded to a residence on Welland Road at the foot of Haist Street, following reports that a grey 2006 Ford F-150 pickup truck had struck a house. The Ford was occupied solely by the driver. The residence housed a family of six people, say police.
Niagara Emergency Medical Services paramedics and Pelham Fire Services attended the scene. All parties were assessed by paramedics, and none of the residents of the home were physically injured, say police.
Officers arrived on the scene and found the driver attempting to flee on foot. In speaking with the driver, officers formed grounds to believe he was impaired by alcohol. Empty liquor bottles were found inside the Ford. The driver was arrested by attending officers and subsequently transported to a local hospital for treatment of what is believed to be minor injuries.
Timothy John Climenhaga, 48, of Wainfleet, was arrested and charged with impaired operation of a conveyance, and driving while under suspension. After being medically cleared, Climenhaga was transported to the NRPS Prisoner Management Unit in Niagara Falls, and was held in custody for a video bail hearing at the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines later on Monday.
Climenhaga has also been issued an Administrative Driver's Licence Suspension (ADLS), say police, which is issued to anyone charged with similar driving offences. The ADLS prohibits operation of a motor vehicle for 90 days from the date it was issued.
The damage to the home is believed to be significant, though an estimate was not immediately available. Out of an abundance of safety, the Ford could not be immediately removed from the home until the structural integrity of the house could be assessed. Engineers have since attended the scene, and the Ford has been removed. The house has been deemed unsafe at this time. The Ford received moderate damage and has been seized as part of the investigation.
By early afternoon, repairs to the home were underway, as seen in this short video:
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the investigating officers by calling 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1023300, referencing incident 23-129617.
Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information that leads to an arrest.
