Man Arrested for Driving Pink Jeep and Allegedly Impaired

Lincoln was stopped by an officer for driving a toy jeep

Prince George residents who were in this morning's rush-hour traffic were shocked to see a man arrested for allegedly driving a pink Barbie jeep on the street.

The police were not amused, as they were busy that day with an ambulance involved in a hit-and-run, and a prominent downtown business destroyed by fire.

An officer stopped the vehicle and found Kasper Lincoln had a suspended license and was likely impaired.

Lincoln was seen driving the toy car on the road

He was arrested for prohibited driving and given breathalyzer tests, producing two samples that police say showed he was over the legal limit.

Lincoln was issued a 90-day driving suspension and must appear in court in December.

Earlier witnesses saw Lincoln wearing aviator glasses as he drove the toy vehicle on a main thoroughfare in Prince George. Some reported him to the police, others were surprised he was arrested for driving way below the speed limit.

In an interview with CBC News, Lincoln said he was getting a slurpee with a friend, but "got lazy", and decided to borrow his roommate's child's toy car to get there, with his friend walking beside him.

"I never drove it before," he said while laughing.

However, the police didn't think it was funny and what Lincoln did was illegal.

He was arrested and allegedly impaired

He was driving an unlicensed motor vehicle -- and a toy one should not be on the road.

According to Mattel which produced the toy car, it can go as fast as 8km/hr and has power brakes.

In the meantime, Lincoln plans to fight the ticket, adding he has been arrested by the police several times before, but "this is the most hilarious one."

Only in Prince George?

Museum Celebrates Cantopop with Fundraiser

Museum CEO Melissa Lee addressed attendees

The Chinese Canadian Museum will celebrate its second anniversary on Tuesday, and the other day I attended Spark Community Dinner fundraising gala at Floata Seafood Restaurant in Chinatown. 

Seven hundred and fifty people were in attendance, and it was quite the struggle to meet and greet people as tables and chairs were close together. The numbered tables were randomly placed all over the room which made it hard for me to find where I was sitting!

Nevertheless, it was good to see a handful of familiar faces and meet new ones, and some politicians who came out in force, including Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, Hong Kong-born Prince George Mayor Simon Yu, federal, provincial and municipal politicians too.

My friend sitting next to me remarked how it was only in Chinese gatherings were politicians given a lot of time to speak on stage (while everyone else in the room chatted); I suggested perhaps because the hosts were reliant on them for donations and handouts?

A lot of speeches were made before the evening finally kicked off, and perhaps the highlight was Lawrence Mok, who won a karaoke competition, sang two songs that brought everyone back to 1980s Cantopop with Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing's Monica. Everyone remarked how laser discs, reminders of karaoke machines, were suspended from the ceiling. 

Wish Mok could have sang a few more songs to keep the lively atmosphere going, because the tone shifted to how there were 750 people in the room and we all had to chip in to keep the museum going.

First was a live auction that was not particularly exciting partly because the prizes didn't quite match the crowd, and the starting bids were stratospheric. Oh and every single person had their own personal paddle too. Luckily these were all sold. 

Then if that wasn't enough, the emcee Fred Lee suggested that it was time that people start matching donations. MLA George Chow wasn't able to make the dinner, but pledged CA$10,000 and challenged others to do the same. Eventually four others raised their hands and gave $10K each.

That wasn't all -- Lee began soliciting for $5,000 donations, then $2,500, $1,000, and $500. When he got to the last amount of $250, two people at my table shot their paddles up, and I followed suit. 

But there needs to be an incentive to get people to donate -- just promising a tax receipt isn't a good reason. How about offering two free admission tickets, T-shirts, a sneak preview to something or an exclusive event? 

In the end the museum managed to raise over $300,000, but is that enough to keep this cultural institution going? We don't want to see it shutter either...