Officer injured after driver flees checkpoint

A 27-year-old Truro Heights man is facing charges after a vehicle fled from a checkpoint and then caused an accident.

At 12:45 a.m. Friday members of Colchester District RCMP had a checkpoint set up at the intersection of Lower Truro Road and Truro Heights Road.

A Ford pickup went past without stopping, and once past the officers, the driver accelerated quickly.

The truck headed up Truro Heights Road and police, who had the licence plate number, attempted to locate it.

At 1:36 a.m. someone called and said they’d seen a truck coming out of the woods and driving across someone’s lawn on Anita Crescent. The description the caller gave indicated it was the same truck that had fled the checkpoint.

When officers located the truck, at 2 a.m., it was on Robie Street in Lower Truro. They followed it until backup arrived and attempted to stop it near Gaspar Cross Rd. in Salmon River. The driver swerved in front of one police car and struck a second one before coming to a stop in the ditch.

The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was arrested without incident. He was tested and found not to have alcohol in his system.

Paramedics took him to hospital for assessment of minor injuries.

One RCMP officer suffered a non-life-threatening injury and required hospital treatment.

He was released from hospital later in the day.

Jason Douglas Heim, 27, of Truro Heights is charged with flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, and assaulting a police officer and causing bodily harm.