Justice Ashley Stewart sentenced at Coffs Harbour court for high-range drink driving, cannabis possession

A young Coffs woman was found with longneck beers in her car’s cup holders and a stash of cannabis after she was busted high-range drink driving, a court has heard.

Justice Ashley Stewart was busted high-range drink driving and found to have longneck beers in her car’s cupholders.

A young Coffs Harbour woman was found with longneck beers in her car’s cup holders and a stash of cannabis after she was busted by police high-range drink driving, a court heard.

Police were patrolling Park Beach Rd just before midnight on April 11.

Officers pulled over the driver of a Holden Commodore for a random breath test, police state in Coffs Harbour Local Court documents.

Justice Ashley Stewart, 22, tested positive and was arrested. She recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.227 – more than four times the legal limit.

When police were moving Stewart’s vehicle to a safer position on the roadside, they noticed two Corona longneck beers – one half empty – in the car.

Officers also spotted “green vegetable matter” in the passenger side footwall, the documents state.

Stewart said at the time it looked like it was “weed”, but she denied ownership.

In the Coffs court on Wednesday, Magistrate Julia Virgo convicted Stewart of driving with a high-range PCA first offence.

Stewart was sentenced to a six-month community corrections order, disqualified for six months and faces a 24-month interlock licence.

She was also convicted of possessing a prohibited drug, 4.21 grams of cannabis, but not penalised further.