Zoe Mitchell, 29, Yamba and Queensland woman pleads guilty to dangerous driving, police pursuit at Grafton Local Court
A young woman attempted to reverse into police officers and innocent pedestrians near one of Australia’s most popular surfing beaches. Here’s what we know.
Grafton
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A young woman attempted to run over a couple of police officers after they spotted her with a man near one of Australia’s most popular surfing beaches.
Zoe Mitchell, 29, fronted Grafton Local Court on Monday.
The 29-year-old, who lives in both Yamba and Queensland, pleaded guilty to using a weapon to prevent lawful detention, resisting police, unlawfully participating in an outdoor gathering, two counts of driving dangerously, police pursuit and failing to appear.
According to police facts, officers had spotted Mitchell’s car at the Yamba home of a man she was protected from by an apprehended domestic violence order (ADVO). They were also breaching Covid rules by being together.
Police saw Mitchell and the man together on August 28, 2021, when they spotted them in a parked Mazda near Angourie’s Spooky Beach.
“(When police tried to arrest the man), Mitchell has started her vehicle and proceeded to reverse backwards towards police,” court documents state.
“Police have called out to Mitchell, yelling ‘Zoe, don’t’.
“(But she) continued to reverse backwards with no regard for the safety of police and two other male pedestrians walking behind her … (who just avoided) being struck by the vehicle.”
Police facts also state Mitchell narrowly avoided smashing into the parked police car as she sped away from Angourie.
Court documents state officers spotted Mitchell driving away near both the Angourie Rainforest Resort and the intersection of Osprey Dr and Yamba Rd, Yamba — however, both times Mitchell “accelerated” and briefly “sped out of sight” when she noticed the police.
“(When she was spotted in Yamba, she) looked directly at police, accelerated harshly heading west on Yamba Rd without giving way to the oncoming vehicles and exceeding the 50km/h speed limit,” a court heard.
Police followed her out of Yamba but had to call off the pursuit because of her dangerous driving, with officers once more losing sight of her car as she sped away in the direction of the Pacific Hwy.
The case was adjourned so a sentencing assessment report (SAR) could be prepared. Mitchell will return to court on April 15.
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