A Princeton man with almost 100 prior convictions has been arrested again, this time for ramming a police cruiser.
Blake Dunstall, 39, was arrested on March 7 in Keremeos and is now facing charges of assaulting a police officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, resisting arrest, failing to comply with a probation order, driving while suspended, and possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
An officer on patrol spotted a suspicious vehicle known to police around 7 p.m. and attempted to stop it. The vehicle fled at high speed and the officer did not pursue.
Shortly after, the officer spotted the same vehicle driving down a dead-end road and once again attempted to make it stop. This time the driver did a u-turn and drove into the police cruiser. The driver attempted to reverse and escape, but ended up in a person’s yard and getting the vehicle stuck on a tree stump.
Dunstall and a 35-year-old female passenger were both arrested at the scene. Both are from Princeton.
“This highlights the dangerous job our officers do every day to keep our communities safe,” said Cpl. Chad Parsons, Keremeos detachment commander. “The member involved in this occurrence acted according to his training, which took a career criminal safely into custody.”
READ MORE: Princeton man with 97 prior convictions serves 62 more days in jail
Dunstall is currently working his way through the court system facing charges of dangerous operation of conveyance, flight from police and driving while disqualified after being arrested in June 2022 in Vernon. He is due back in court on March 9 in Vernon for his next appearance.
That incident took place shortly after he finished the 62 day jail sentence he received in January 2022 for assaulting his then-girlfriend in 2020 as well as driving dangerously and assaulting a police officer.
Following that court case, Dunstall received a 10-year driving ban that was leveled on top of a lifetime ban that he already was under from conviction in Saskatchewan.
The Penticton Chamber used Dunstall as an example of the revolving door of the court system when they wrote a letter on the challenges community’s face with recidivism.
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