Niagara-on-the-Lake man accused of fleeing drugs investigation in St. Catharines

A 47-year-old man from Niagara-on-the-Lake is wanted by police on several charges, after a male fled during a drugs-related arrest in St. Catharines this morning.

The Niagara Regional Police Service says that on Friday (March 18) at about 6:30 a.m., uniform officers in St. Catharines responded to the area of Rykert Street and Powerview Avenue in the City of St. Catharines in response to a drug-related call. The responding officers located a male in the front seat of a silver Honda Civic. Officers approached the vehicle to speak with the male, then observed drugs in the vehicle.

Officers advised the male he was under arrest, the NRPS says. However, the male attempted to get away. He was able to flee and re-enter his vehicle. The driver backed up and their vehicle struck another vehicle, as well as an officer’s fully marked NRPS police vehicle. The suspect continued to back up, and the vehicle they were operating struck another vehicle before fleeing.

An officer on scene suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the incident.

Officirs have identified the suspect as Christopher J. Judge, age 47, of Niagara-on-the-Lake. He is wanted on five counts

• Assaulting a peace officer with intent to resist arrest
• Assaulting a peace officer
• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
• Failing to stop after an accident
• Flight from a peace officer

Judge is described as a white man who is five-foot-eight with a medium build, and grey eyes. In a police handout photo, he has greying hair, glasses and a short beard.

Male Wanted for Multiple Charges in St. Catharineshttps://t.co/ZfUTZHgKvF pic.twitter.com/ER4AeHeREL

— NRPS (@NiagRegPolice) March 18, 2022

Anyone with information that may assist this investigation is asked to call the Niagara Regional Police Service at 905-688-4111, ext. 1022200.

(Cover photo courtesy of the Niagara Regional Police Service.)