A woman who has moved to the Central West after fleeing domestic violence has faced Orange Local Court for a string of driving and drug-related offences.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Natalie Ann Carters, 44, formerly of Scenic Circuit Budgewoi, pleaded guilty to offences committed on Christmas Day and earlier this year.
According to court documents, Carters was driving north on Sation Street, Bonnells Bay at 5.40pm on Christmas Day last year and failed to negotiate a slight right hand bend in the road and crashed into a deep drainage ditch.
Carters was disqualified from driving at the time and provided a negative breath test but appeared sluggish and was unsteady on her feet so she was taken to Belmont Hospital for blood and urine tests to be taken.
When arrested police also found five grams of cannabis and a bag containing 0.6 grams of meth.
She said "the cannabis is mine but I bought the ice for a friend".
Carters was fined for the drug possession on March 6 this year.
The results of her drug test also came back positive for Nitrazepam, Oxycodone and cannabis.
Carters also pleaded guilty to drug possession, obtaining property by deception and driving while disqualified for offences on January 10 and February 1 this year.
About 7.27am on January 10, 2023, Carters pulled into a petrol station at Morisset and filled up her vehicle with $85 worth of fuel. She then drove off without paying for the fuel.
About 10pm on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, police saw the same car driving around The Entrance and checks revealed the fail to pay incident.
Police followed the vehicle into a car park. The driver pulled over and Carters was seen in the passenger seat.
- READ ALSO: CYMS bid to chop mullet and winless streak
She had blood shot eyes and was slurring her speech so police decided to search her. They found 8.2 grams of cannabis in her bag. She said it was for personal use and she smoked it to help with her anxiety.
According to police, her driver's licence expired on December 3, 2021.
She also had five previous driving offences for driving while her licence was suspended and driving while disqualified.
Carters was present in court for sentencing.
Magistrate David Day said she had previously been subject to domestic abuse.
He said her problems "started with alcohol, and went to prescription medications and other things" and her offending could be seen through the lens of domestic violence and conviction and jailing of her former partner.
His comment was in response to a comment by police prosecutor Sergeant Beau Riley who said the custodial threshold was crossed.
Solicitor Taras Maksymczuk said Carters has started her rehabilitation since the offences and attends relevant programs and counselling.
Mr Day convicted Carters for each of the offence and gave her a community-based jail sentence for driving under the influence of drugs on Christmas Day.
The sentence was a nine-month intensive correction order requiring rehabilitation, treatment and that she abstain from alcohol and drugs.
Her driver's licence was also disqualified for 12 months for the offence.
For driving while her licence was disqualified on December 25, Mr Day gave her a 12-month community correction order and disqualified her driver's licence for six months.
For driving while disqualified on January 10, 2023, Mr Day convicted Carters, placed her on a 12-month CCO and disqualified her driver's licence for six months.
For dishonestly obtaining property by deception he placed her on a six-month CCO and for possession of the cannabis on February 1 he placed her on a 12-month CCO.
Her offences also put her in breach of an 18-month CCO Carters was given in July 2022 for driving while suspended and an 18-month CCO for driving while disqualified.
Each of those previous sentences were revoked and Mr Day gave her two new 12-month CCOs.
Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.
