A man who ran a red light on the Goulburn Valley Hwy with drugs in his system told police he thought “it was green”.
Glenn Allan Price, 43, of Coffs Harbour, pleaded guilty at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to driving while suspended, drug driving and going against a red light arrow.
The court heard police saw Price turn right from the Goulburn Valley Hwy on to Sanctuary Dve in Kialla, against a red turning arrow, about 10am on November 21, 2020.
Price was suspended from driving at the time and a drug test detected methamphetamines and cannabis.
The court hear that when asked by police if he had taken any illegal drugs recently, Price said he “had a puff on someone else’s pipe the other night”.
He also told the officer he thought the red arrow was green.
Price told the court he was helping his girlfriend pick up a load of gravel for her driveway as she was “not confident” driving with a trailer.
“I got behind the wheel when I shouldn’t have,” he said.
Originally from Mooroopna, Price said he had moved to Coffs Harbour because “I always seem to get in trouble when I’m in Shepparton”.
Magistrate Peter Dunn fined Price $1500 and ordered him to pay $129.30 in court costs, as well as disqualifying him from driving for 12 months.