Spitting at police lands woman in jail

Spitting at members of the Bracebridge OPP and other offences recently landed a woman in jail.

Appearing in Bracebridge court by video from a correctional facility, Jennifer Engson, 40, pleaded guilty last week to impaired operation of a vehicle and assaulting a peace officer.

Court heard that on the evening of August 31, 2021 police received four different complaints in one hour regarding an erratic driver on Highway 11.

They then received another complaint from an individual at a gas station in Bracebridge. The caller said that a woman smelling of alcohol was in that location causing a scene before she proceeded to drive away.

Members of the Bracebridge OPP were able to catch up with the vehicle, which they observed switching speeds from 90 km an hour to 127 km per hour and swerving between the lanes. Pulled over by the officers, court heard that Engson smelled of alcohol, appeared confused and produced a health card instead of a driver’s license when requested.

She was cuffed and placed in the cruiser where she became verbally abusive and tried to spit at the officers in the front of the car, the court heard.

Justice Nancy Dawson said the act of spitting at a police officer was particularly “disgusting and degrading,” especially in the middle of a pandemic.

Court heard that Engson, who has a previous criminal record, had spent the past 15 days in jail since the incident had occurred. She was sentenced to time served, a one-year driving prohibition, a $1,000 fine and one year of probation.