A woman on an erratic driving spree that had her crashing into a parked car was so drug-affected that she frothed from the mouth when talking.
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Police took her to the nearby Corowa hospital to undergo blood and urine tests, but Kerryanne Oats could not be calmed down.
Albury Local Court was told on Monday, May 6, that Oats - who refused to have blood taken over a fear of needles - "began to yell and scream" to the extent that she disturbed patients.
As they took her back to the Corowa police station late on the night of July 19, 2023, Oates, now 36, continued to display erratic behaviour as she was "unable to stay still, fidgeting with her clothes, scratching at her legs and yelling at police".
Magistrate Sally McLaughlin was told that since her offending, Oates was held in Victorian custody from September 11 until March 7.
On her release from jail, defence lawyer Dane Keenes submitted, Oats had embarked on counselling and treatment for "long-standing issues with illicit drug use".
Mr Keenes said that as part of her efforts to rehabilitate, Oats would soon move from Wangaratta to Wodonga to get away from illicit drug users who lived nearby in public housing.
She had also begun working with Gateway Health and had appointments booked with a psychologist and a psychiatrist.
Oates pleaded guilty to negligent driving and driving under the influence of drugs over the Corowa incident.
The court heard how police saw a grey Hyundai i30 pulled over in Birdwood Street about 11.45pm.
As they did a U-turn, the car began pulling away from the kerb "at high speed".
"Police saw the vehicle swerve sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding (crashing into) a parked vehicle."
They activated their warning lights, but Oats did not stop.
"The vehicle was starting to swerve sharply to left again, hitting the kerb in Gray Street."
Oates tried to drive away, but police blocked her in with their vehicle then asked her to get out but she refused several times before finally opening her door.
"When speaking with the police, it was clear that (Oats) was highly affected by drugs. The accused was erratic and unable to stay still."
The Corowa incident came just hours after she displayed similar behaviour at the Eastern Hill lookout in East Albury.
About 4.15pm, a woman parked her own Hyundai i30 in the lookout car park and went for a walk.
When she returned 30 minutes later, she approached her car only to see Oats crouching down using a car jack to lift the vehicle.
Police said it appeared that Oats was trying to steal a back wheel.
The woman asked her what she was doing.
"This is my friend's car, she owes me money," Oats replied.
"No it's not," the woman said, "it is my car."
Oats argued with the woman, demanding proof of ownership.
The victim then phoned triple zero to get hold of police, but as she did so Oats stood up and approached her while waving a lug wrench in a threatening manner while screaming.
Moments later, Oats fled the scene in the car that had been hired from a Wodonga firm.
Oats pleaded guilty to intimidation and an attempted larceny over the incident.
Ms McLaughlin said unless she was able to overcome her addiction, Oats - despite there so far being positive signs for rehabilitation - was likely to re-offend.
Oats was convicted and placed on a supervised, 12-month community corrections order, fined $3200 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
