NAME AND SHAME: Townsville’s Drink and drug drivers busted

Townsville motorists have paid the price for getting behind the wheel with a drugs or a significant quantity of alcohol still in the their systems.

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IT’S never a good idea to get behind the wheel while there are still drugs or a significant quantity of alcohol in your system, as four Townsville motorists had to learn the hard way.

They appeared in Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being scooped up by police conducting random breath and drug testing around the Townsville region – three of which were busted on the Bruce Highway north of Townsville.

Tye Anthony Longhurst

Longhurst was pulled over by police while driving on the Bruce Highway at Bluewater on May 21.

The 24-year-old told police he was a regular smoker of cannabis, which was detected in their saliva test.

He pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his system while on his P’s.

The court heard how he was caught for a similar offence in 2016.

Magistrate Ken Taylor fined him $250 and disqualified him from driving for three months with no conviction recorded.

Phoebe Anna Lavender

On May 23, Lavender, 18, was driving her Volkswagen home after visiting Crystal Creek when she was pulled over for a random drug test at a stationary police intercept site north of Rollingstone.

Police had suspected she might have been under the influence of drugs, to which she admitted to smoking cannabis the night before.

It was subsequently detected in her saliva.

She pleaded guilty to the charge of driving while a relevant drug was in her system.

Because the charge didn’t recognise she was driving on her P’s, Magistrate Ken Taylor disqualified her for one month, fined $300, with no conviction recorded.

Matthew Paul Hutchinson pleaded guilty to driving while a drug was present in his system. Picture: Supplied.

Matthew Paul Hutchinson

Hutchinson’s vehicle was intercepted by police in the driveway of the BP service station at Rollingstone on May 26.

He admitted to police that he smoked cannabis, which was subsequently detected in his saliva test.

He pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his blood or saliva.

Magistrate Ken Taylor fined him $300 and disqualified him from driving for one month with no conviction recorded.

Peter Thomas Hart

On June 20, Hart was driving down Riverway Drive when he was spotted by police making a U-turn to avoid their stationary testing site.

They located the 34-year-old in the park near the Ross Dam.

Smelling of alcohol, he was breath tested, returning high range blood alcohol reading of 0.196.

Hart admitted to being at a rodeo the night before.

Pleading guilty to high range drink driving in court, he was concerned about the impact of losing his licence on his full-time rail job.

Magistrate Ken Taylor issued a $800 fine and disqualified him from driving for seven months with no conviction recorded.

Originally published as NAME AND SHAME: Townsville’s Drink and drug drivers busted