EAST REGION – It was a busy stretch for Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) across the east region with officers laying impaired driving charges in three separate incidents, making an arrest in a years-long overdose investigation, and charging a lawyer following an alleged large-scale misappropriation of client funds.

Three charged in separate impaired driving incidents

Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SD&G) OPP officers responded to three unrelated incidents over the past week, each resulting in driving-related charges.

Shortly before 8:00 a.m. on Sun., March 1, officers were called to a single-vehicle collision on Marionville Road in North Dundas Township. Following an investigation, Ivan Dario Garcia Rodriguez, 35, of Etobicoke, was charged with:

  • impaired operation – blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg
  • impaired operation by alcohol and drugs
  • driving as a Class G1 licence holder without a qualified accompanying driver

Earlier that same morning, just after 2:00 a.m., officers responded to another single-vehicle collision, this time on County Road 27 in South Glengarry. A 17-year-old male from Martintown was charged with:

  • careless driving • having a blood alcohol concentration above zero as a novice driver
  • failing to report an accident

In a third incident on Thurs., Feb. 26, shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers were dispatched to Highway 417 after a vehicle left the roadway and came to rest in a ditch. Mahder Asrdew Zewdu, 26, of Saint-Maurice, Que., was arrested and charged with:

  • operation while prohibited under the Criminal Code
  • impaired operation – blood alcohol concentration over 80 mg
  • impaired operation by alcohol and drugs
  • driving a motor vehicle with liquor readily available

Police report that no injuries were sustained in any of the three incidents. All accused were released from custody and are scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at later dates.

Ottawa man charged in 2022 overdose death

Meanwhile, an Ottawa man is facing manslaughter and drug trafficking charges in connection with the 2022 opioid overdose death of a young woman in South Stormont Township.

On Oct. 28, 2022, SD&G OPP officers were called to a residence on Neville Road, northwest of Ingleside, where a 20-year-old woman was found unresponsive. She was pronounced deceased at the scene. A postmortem examination later determined the cause of death to be an opioid overdose.

Under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, the SD&G Crime Unit has continued to investigate the source of the drugs involved.

On Fri., Feb. 27, 2026, police arrested Ibraheem Khalifeh, 22, of Ottawa. He has been charged with:

  • manslaughter under Section 236(b) of the Criminal Code
  • two counts of trafficking in a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Khalifeh was remanded into custody following a bail hearing and was scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall on March 2.

The investigation involved assistance from multiple agencies, including the Office of the Chief Coroner, several specialized OPP units, Ottawa Police Service, Cornwall Police Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Lawyer charged following fraud investigation

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged a Hawkesbury-area lawyer after an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of more than $500,000 in client trust funds.

The investigation began in December 2024 after the Hawkesbury OPP Crime Unit received complaints alleging misuse of funds connected to legal services.

As a result of the probe, Marc Gauthier, 44, of Casselman, has been charged with:

  • three counts of theft over $5,000
  • laundering proceeds of crime
  • criminal breach of trust

Gauthier was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa.

The investigation received assistance from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and remains ongoing. Police are asking anyone with information to contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers.

The SFO is a joint initiative of the OPP and Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General. It specializes in the investigation and prosecution of complex fraud and financial crimes, working in partnership with police services across the province.