Sarah Michelle Cooper, 34, has been sentenced on drug and driving-related charges.
A South Canterbury woman s late night trip to Timaru to buy methamphetamine during Level 4 lockdown ended with her car crashing through a fence into a power pole. After an ambulance took Sarah Michelle Cooper to Timaru Hospital, police discovered an extendable baton and two small plastic bags carrying methamphetamine when they searched her damaged vehicle. The 34-year-old, who admitted charges of careless driving, driving while her blood contained evidence of a controlled drug for the third or subsequent time, and possessing methamphetamine and an offensive weapon, when appearing in the Timaru District Court on Wednesday, crashed after losing control of her vehicle when it drifted off the Waimate Highway (State Highway 1) near Otaio onto a grass verge about 10.55pm on April 8, 2020.