Three people are facing charges after an early morning investigation into a single-vehicle crash south of Chatham turned up several offences along the way.
Chatham-Kent police said they got a call just after 6 a.m. Sunday for a report of a truck that had crashed into a light pole at the intersection of Middle Line and Charing Cross Road in Harwich Township.
Police said an "observant area resident" helped them to piece together what happened next by reporting that some individuals were seen removing property from the truck before they got into a black minivan that then left the scene.
The resident then did their own detective work, following the minivan while also maintaining communication with emergency services to provide police with detailed information.
About half an hour after the initial call, police were able to pull over the black minivan at Eighth Line and Dillon Road -- thanks to information from the resident who saw it drive away from the crash scene.
Police said officers suspected the woman who was driving the minivan was impaired, so they arrested her and took her to police headquarters for breath tests. During their investigation, officers learned that the passenger of the minivan was wanted on a Canadian Immigration Warrant, so he was also arrested.
In addition to those two arrests, police said they found a loaded Glock firearm within reach of both the driver and the passenger. Officers said the gun also had the serial number filed off.
As a result of the investigation, a 34-year-old woman from Wallaceburg and a 38-year-old man from Harwich Township were both arrested and charged with several firearms-related offences. The woman was also charged with impaired driving.
They were both set to be held in custody pending a bail hearing.
Back at the scene of the truck crash, officers also found the driver of that vehicle -- a 35-year-old man from Chatham who also appeared to be intoxicated.
He was arrested for impaired driving and later formally charged with that same offence.
He was later released with conditions and a future court date.
CK police said they are also extending their "sincere gratitude" to the resident who helped them with the investigation, adding that the resident's actions "played a vital role in ensuring public safety during these incidents".