Mounties in the Town of Olds got far more than they expected when they were alerted to a suspected impaired driver this week.

On Tuesday (January 21) at about 9:40 pm, the Olds RCMP responded to a complaint of a possible impaired driver in the town.  When an officer located the vehicle a short time later it was determined the male driver was wanted on outstanding warrants.

Things just went downhill for that driver after that.  

He was arrested and an initial search of the vehicle revealed what appeared to be several fraudulent documents including fake ID cards and licenses.   During the investigation, a female passenger disclosed to police that she had been assaulted by the man. 

A search warrant was obtained to further search the vehicle which resulted in a seizure of various drugs, including what is suspected to be heroin and fentanyl. 

Evan Mitchell Balchen (31) of Spruce Grove has been charged with eleven offenses, including:

  • Unlawful possession of identity documents
  • Trafficking of a controlled substance
  • Possession of a controlled substance
  • Assault
  • Uttering threats

Balchen was held in custody on his warrants and is scheduled to appear in Didsbury Provincial Court on February 24th.

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