Caledon OPP investigating a sudden death in the community

August 2, 2018 · 0 Comments

On Tuesday, July 31, 2018 at approximately 9:45 a.m., officers from the Caledon Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a sudden death.

Upon arrival, officers located a deceased male at a residential property located on Humber Station Road. Members with the Caledon OPP Major Crime Unit are investigating the circumstances that led to the male’s death under the direction of OPP Detective Inspector Pete Liptrott of the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB).

The OPP have confirmed the identity of the deceased male as being 54-year old Joseph Anthony COLAVITA of the Greater Toronto area. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled to take place on August 2, 2018 at the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service (OCC-OFPS) located in Toronto.

Humber Station Road will remain closed between Healey Road and Mayfield Road while the police investigation continues and as a result, motorists are being requested to use an alternate route for travel until the road re-opens.

Any person with information regarding this investigation should immediately contact the Caledon OPP at (905) 584-2241 or toll free at 1-888-310-1122.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- 8477 (TIPS). You can also submit information online at www.peelcrimestoppers.ca. Being anonymous, you will not be required to testify in court and information you provide may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.

OPP targeting distracted drivers

Members of the Dufferin OPP will be focusing on distracted driving enforcement over the August Civic Holiday weekend, from Saturday, August 4 to Monday, August 7 inclusive.

The detachment said in a news release that the officers will also be targeting excessive speed, stunt driving and seatbelt compliance.

“The OPP would like the public to think of all the families traveling across and through our County this weekend and allow more time to get to your destination. Take regular break.”

All traffic complaints should be forwarded to the OPP Provincial Communications Centre at 1-888-310-1122.

“Please don’t put our officers in a position where they have to make notifications to family that motorists and passengers are seriously injured from collisions on our roadways.”

Move over for emergency workers

With the first half of the year behind them, the OPP has laid 932 Move Over charges so far this year against drivers who failed to slow down and move over when approaching an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing.

While the year-to-date number sets the stage for a potentially lower number of charges compared to the past few years, it is an important law that the OPP sees far too many drivers continue to ignore at the expense of first responder safety.

OPP Move Over Charges [Highway Traffic Act Section 159 (2)(3)], last five years: 2014 – 1,593, 2015 – 2,059, 2016 – 2,468, 2017 – 2,137, 2018 – 932 (Jan. 1 – mid-June)

“Any driver who has had to pull over to the roadside of a busy highway or road knows how unnerving and unsafe it feels to see traffic clipping by at close proximity. We need all drivers to be mindful of this when they see police, other emergency personnel and tow truck drivers on the roadside carrying out their public safety duties. Slowing down and moving over for emergency vehicles if safe to do so will help reduce the number of these preventable collisions and allow those who provide help at the roadside to do their jobs safely,” says OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair, Provincial Commander of Traffic Safety and Operational Support.