A man who led police on a slow-speed chase near Queenstown while high on meth has been sentenced to prison.
The incident began when a police patrol spotted a vehicle of interest in Arrowtown about 1.30pm on September 29, 2022.
Parked next to the vehicle in his own car was Daniel Shawn Scott (36), of Oamaru, who drove off when the patrol car’s red and blue lights were activated.
He almost collided with another vehicle after failing to give way at the intersection with State Highway 6, then continued towards Frankton as vehicles backed up behind him.
Near Lake Hayes Pavilion, he drove completely off the road on the left-hand side before swerving back into his lane without indicating.
A short time later he swerved across double yellow lines into the opposite lane, nearly colliding with an oncoming truck and trailer.
When police spiked his car near the Stalker Rd roundabout, Scott drove on deflated tyres into the Shotover Country residential area, where he abandoned his car in Banbury Tce. He then ran through two properties before he was caught.
A search of his car uncovered about 2.2g of methamphetamine, a bong and set of scales.
He failed an impairment test at the Queenstown police station, and a blood specimen was found to contain meth.
The defendant, who has been in custody since the incident, was recently sentenced in the Invercargill District Court on charges of dangerous driving, impaired driving, aggravated failing to stop, possessing methamphetamine, possessing a meth pipe and aggravated disqualified driving.
At a sentencing indication hearing in the Queenstown District Court on March 13, Judge Russell Walker said the offending was aggravated by the defendant being on release conditions at the time, and his extensive history of similar offences.
His driving had posed a clear danger to other motorists, and it was "a matter of luck rather than good management" it had not caused a serious injury or fatality to himself or others.
Scott was sentenced to 12 months and two weeks’ prison, disqualified from driving for three years and ordered to pay $834.94 reparation for blood-analysis fees.
