Yeppoon: Woman gets drunk and makes L plater drive her home

A Yeppoon court has heard about the crazy amount of alcohol a woman drank before she broke the law by getting a learner to drive her home.

Krystle Maree Van Vegten pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on December 1, 2022, to a charge of being under the influence while in control of a vehicle.

A woman who got drunk celebrating her birthday and then asked a learner to drive her home, has faced court.

Krystle Maree Van Vegten, 33, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on December 1 to a charge of being under the influence while in control of a vehicle.

Police prosecutor Mirren Smith said that at 1am on October 15, police intercepted a vehicle at Yeppoon being driven by a learner driver with Van Vegten in the front passenger seat.

Ms Smith said Van Vegten admitted to police that she was in charge of the vehicle as she was instructing the learner driver.

“Police detected a strong smell of liquor coming from (Van Vegten),” Ms Smith said.

“(Van Vegten) readily admitted to consuming half a bottle of vodka and a quarter of a bottle of Wild Turkey bourbon between 5pm and 11.30pm to celebrate her birthday.

“(Van Vegten) admitted that she had asked the driver of the vehicle to take her home, knowing that the driver only had a learner’s permit.”

Van Vegten recorded a blood alcohol reading of .110.

The court heard Van Vegten had no prior offending of this sort on her traffic history.

Representing herself in court, Van Vegten told Acting Magistrate Ron Muirhead she worked as a disability support carer and she applied for a restricted work licence.

Mr Muirhead fined her $300, disqualified her from driving for three months, and granted a work licence.