Teen allegedly drinks then crashes vehicle outside Mabel lake home

He shouldn't have been drinking. Especially not behind the wheel.

Police say a 19-year-old, in a vehicle he "took" from a Mabel Lake area campground crashed right in front of someone's house Saturday.

"One man was seen running from the scene through the owner’s property," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says.

Not long after, a second car pulled up by the Mabel Lake Road house. The occupants of the car began looking for the driver of the first vehicle.

RCMP were called and the young man was arrested a short distance away for breaching his conditions not to consume alcohol. Molendyk says the man had clearly been drinking. 

"The suspect was wet when our officers located him, like he had run in water," Molendyk says.

The man has been released on promise to appear in court.

Over the long weekend, officers were busy keeping such offenses to a minimum. Molendyk believes police, in partnership with conservation officers, were able to prevent many incidences by conducting checks at popular campgrounds around Mabel Lake where partying is known to occur.

On Friday night, Molendyk says four major parties were identified, ranging from 50 to 250 people each.

"Officers attended these parties prior to people becoming overly intoxicated," Molendyk says.

They warned campers about the offences of drinking and driving, then set up a major check stop on the Mabel Lake Forest Service Road. Molendyk says over 20 vehicles were checked.

Officers also noticed numerous people walking along Mabel Lake Road with open liquor. "This was disposed of at the scene," Molendyk says. "Everyone involved felt the pro-active policing and the very high visibility (helped) prevent any significant issues from taking place in the area."

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.