The cube van that authorities pulled off the road in Sharbot Lake, July 11.
SHARBOT LAKE — The driver of a cube van abandoned the vehicle and its cargo of four calves and three chickens after police and Ministry of Transportation officials pulled the van off the road during a July 11 commercial vehicle safety inspection blitz in Sharbot Lake. The driver’s actions are now the subject of an animal welfare investigation, according to Frontenac OPP.
The authorities removed the licence plates from the van after inspecting the vehicle and the driver’s paperwork. The driver was also charged with unspecified violations. But the driver’s eyebrow-raising response — leaving the de-licensed vehicle and livestock behind — prompted police to call in Animal Welfare Services, “which is conducting their own investigation with regards to this,” the OPP reported. The animals were transported to a foster farm in the Greater Napanee Area.
In all, 10 vehicles were taken out of service — out of 17 vehicles inspected — during the one-day blitz in the Sharbot Lake area. Fifteen charges were laid for various offences, including improper work hours, load security, and paperwork and equipment violations. The OPP conducted an increased number of commercial vehicle inspections last month, inspired by 9,110 transport truck collisions on OPP-patrolled roads in 2022 — the highest number in 10 years.
The calves left behind with the van after the authorities pulled its licence plates.
