BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE
A 24-year-old man told Raymond Terrace Highway Patrol Officers he was okay to drive and unaffected by alcohol and drugs, during a vehicle stop at Anna Bay overnight.
Around 10pm Friday, 29 March 2024, police clocked a Ford Falcon sedan allegedly travelling 146km/hr in an 80 zone on Port Stephens Drive, Anna Bay.
The P2 driver was stopped on Nelson Bay Road and subjected to a roadside breath test which police say returned a positive result.
The Highway Patrol Officers say the man's girlfriend was in the car with him at the time, as he told officers the effects of alcohol and drugs did not impair his ability to drive.
The man was arrested and taken to Nelson Bay Police Station for the purpose of a breath analysis, which returned a reading of 0.069. He was also made to do a drug test which allegedly returned a positive result to cannabis.
Police are awaiting the analysis of the oral fluid sample.
The man's licence was suspended, with the number plates to his sedan removed and registration suspended for 3 months.
He will appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court on the 6th May 2024 for the offences of exceeding speed over 45km/hr and driving with a low range PCA.
It comes as police issue a warning to Hunter motorists that those speeding or driving dangerously over the Easter long weekend will be caught. Double demerits remain in force until Easter Monday, 1st April at 11:59pm.
