Nelson Bay Woman Charged Over Breath Test Refusal and Attempted Police Assault At School Pick Up

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A woman who allegedly refused a police breath test, has been charged after being arrested while attempting to pick up a young girl from a school in Port Stephens. 

About 3.20pm on Wednesday 10th June,  a 60-year-old woman driving a Peugeot attended a school in the Port Stephens area to collect a nine-year-old girl known to her.

It’s alleged she hit bushes and small trees when parking, before exiting the vehicle to meet the girl.

School staff noticed the woman and attempted to stop her from driving away.

It’s further alleged she became aggressive and verbally abusive towards staff and police were called.

Officers from Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and requested the woman undergo a breath test.

When she allegedly refused, the woman was arrested and while being placed in the police vehicle, she kicked out towards a male senior constable. He was not injured.

The woman was taken to Nelson Bay Police Station, where she refused to submit to a further breath analysis.

She was charged with harass/intimidate school staff member attending school, refuse or fail to submit to breath analysis and assault police.

The Nelson Bay woman was granted conditional bail to appear at Raymond Terrace Local Court on August 31st. 

One dead and 158 drivers charged with Drink Driving during Operation Safe Return

BY JESSICA ROUSE

NSW Police are alarmed at the number of drivers throughout the state and across the Hunter who in the last three days endangered the lives of other road users.

Operation Safe Return including double demerits concluded at midnight - police breathalysed more than 150,000 drivers, charging 158 of them.

Two people lost their lives on the state's roads during the operation including one driver who lost his life in the Hunter.

The 52-year-old was the passenger in Ford Sedan which hit a tree at Buchanan south of Maitland in the Werekata State Conservation Area on Friday night.

The driver, a 20-year-old man, is in a critical condition in hospital and the two other passengers both aged 18 were taken to hospital at the time with minor injuries.

The Crash Investigation Unit is investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the crash and the car has been seized as a part of inquiries.

Police also issued more than 3,660 speeding infringements.

A Hunter Valley man is off to court in March after he was caught by Highway Patrol officers traveling in excess of the signposted 90km/hr on the New England Highway near Singleton on Friday.

The car took off from police and a pursuit was initiated with the driver then then seen driving an estimated speed of 120km/hr to 140km/hr in a 60km.hr zone at Singleton.

The 20-year-old driver was eventually stopped and taken to Muswellbrook Police Station where he was charged with six traffic offenses.