Collene Kotthoff had just been handed a nine-month term for a reading almost five times the legal blood alcohol limit.

The 48-year-old was arrested soon after she was reported to police on May 14 at 2.40pm, when a Lavington Liquorland worker saw her get into her car minutes after being refused service for being so drunk.

Kotthoff was on an intensive corrections order for police assault-related offences at the time, with a condition that she not drink alcohol.

Albury Local Court heard this week the worker was alarmed on seeing Kotthoff get into the driver's seat of a Holden Astra.

She was clearly heavily drunk when police came across her in her car minutes later, but given her state it couldn't be established whether she was definitely in the driver's seat.

The officers went back into Liquorland to speak to the worker as they knew the matter had to be investigated.

After finishing the interview they returned to their car.

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Moments later, one officer looked up to see Kotthoff's vehicle heading off before she stopped, got out and began walking south along Urana Road.

She was arrested and taken to Albury police station, where she provided a blood alcohol reading of 0.232.

Defence lawyer Sascha McCorriston asked magistrate Chris Halburd to adjourn Kotthoff's sentencing - she pleaded guilty to driving with a high-range concentration of alcohol - to allow her client to secure a drug and alcohol rehabilitation bed in Albury.

But Mr Halburd told Ms McCorriston he was looking at full-time jail for Kotthoff.

"I don't see any point in providing false hope," he said, of the submission that Kotthoff secure a rehabilitation place.

"It's certainly a sad situation for Ms Kotthoff to find herself in at the age of 48."

Mr Halburd said Kotthoff, who was no stranger to full-time custody, clearly had "again found herself at rock bottom".

He said he acknowledged there was nothing in Kotthoff's manner of driving that aggravated her offending, though also noted the liquor store worker's decision to refuse her service due to her level of intoxication.

She will begin a nine-month driving ban when released on parole on October 28.

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