Drugs seized at RIDE stop

A 23-year-old Mount Albert man was stopped in Essa Jan. 30 and charged with drug possession.

Nottawasaga OPP stopped the man at about 7 p.m. during a RIDE check in the hamlet of Thornton, in Essa Township.

The man was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana.

Police said they also found an open liquor bottle in the man's 1992 Subaru.

He was also charged with driving a motor vehicle with an open container of liquor contrary to the Liquor Licence Act.

He is to appear in Bradford court March 29.

Speeding continues despite boosted fines

A 24-year-old Angus man is the latest person Nottawasaga OPP have charged under Ontario's three-year-old racing legislation.

Police said the man was clocked travelling 141 km/h in a posted 80-km/h zone on Jan. 25 mid afternoon on County Road 21 in the Township of Essa.

He now faces three charges including racing, speeding and littering on a highway.

His vehicle and license were seized for the seven days and he is to appear in Churchill court in March.

In 2007, Ontario launched legislation that boosted penalties for drivers speeding more than 50 km/h over the posted limit that included a seven-day vehicle seizure and license suspension.

However, Nottawasaga OPP media officer Melody Tourigny said the detachment continues to find that not everyone has gotten the message.

Tourigny said 89 per cent of more than 8,000 licence suspensions in Ontario since the fall of 2008 were for speeding 50 km/h or more over the limit.

The average age of those drivers was 31, Tourigny said, and more than 50 per cent of those drivers were 27 years and under.

Men were responsible for over 85 per cent of the charges.

In 2009, Nottawasaga OPP officers laid over 7,000 traffic offences, a 45-per-cent increase over 2008.

Collisions in Nottawasaga OPP's jurisdiction decreased 22 per cent during the same time period, she said.

Pin pad thefts in Caledon not isolated

In November 2009 and again in January 2010, a Caledon fast food restaurant contacted the Caledon OPP to report one of its debit machines had been replaced or tampered with.

Police said in both incidents, three men in their early 20s entered the restaurant after 10 p.m. when few or no customers were present.

Police said the suspects placed a big order and when employees were distracted they replaced the existing pin pad with one that had been tampered with.

The tampered pin pad contained debit and credit card skimming equipment that can capture valuable and private banking information.

Caledon OPP said similar incidents have occurred at fast food restaurants in Toronto, York and Peel recently.

Caledon OPP remind consumers not to use a mounted pin pad if it is loose, to check if the serial number on the back of the pin pad is intact and clearly visible if possible and ensure the pin pad is in good overall condition and that no screws are missing and that no stickers are damaged.

It sounds like a lot of work every time you swipe your debit card, but checking the validity of the pin pad can save a lot of headaches when it comes to your bank statements.

Fines for distracted drivers now live

Monday marked the first day Ontario Provincial Police officers can officially fine drivers breaking the new hands free legislation.

Police said the use of hand-held communication and entertainment devices while driving can net a fine of $155.

Three demerit points accompany the fines.

If contested, a judge can lower the fine, or increase it to up to $500.