Elih Joe Michael Brooks: Yamba man pleads guilty to high-range drink driving after crashing into stormwater drain
A North Coast teen busted high-range drink driving with cannabis in his body after a dramatic crash into a stormwater drain knew he was in big trouble.
Grafton
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Police busted a Clarence teen high-range drink driving with cannabis in his body after his car swerved on to the wrong side of the road, lost control and crashed into a stormwater drain.
Yamba man Elih Brooks, 18, fronted Maclean Local Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to high-range drink driving and driving with an illicit drug in his system.
Documents tendered to the court lay out how Brooks came to the attention of police when he was travelling north on Lawrence Rd, Maclean just after 9pm on April 20.
“Police observed (Brooks) turn right from Lawrence Rd onto Cameron St, Maclean, crossing the centre line,” police facts state.
Police followed Brooks, intending to pull him over for random testing due to the manner of his driving.
“Police observed (the teenager) continue along Cameron St, before turning left into Grafton St, then turning right into Cameron Lane,” the documents state.
“He continued for a distance of about 80m before losing control of the vehicle into a storm water culvert.”
Police found Brooks in the driver’s seat and he said: “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be driving, I’m intoxicated.”
Brooks was taken to Yamba Police Station and said he had downed three bottles of beer and one can of Jack Daniels bourbon between 4pm and 6:45pm.
Police noted his eyes were glazed and speech was slurred, but Brooks was polite and co-operative, the court heard.
Brooks returned a breath test reading of 0.204 — more than four times the legal limit.
He was also subjected to an oral fluid test, which detected cannabis.
Magistrate Brett Thomas advised the offender: “If you’ve got a problem with alcohol, Mr Brooks, you need to do something about that.”
The case was adjourned for Brooks to complete a traffic offenders program.
He is due back in court for sentencing on July 27.
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