16 arrested for traffic offences in Tweed Byron, 2 fatal

Tweed Byron police say they arrested 26 people in the week to last Friday, including sixteen for road and/or traffic offences.

Two were in relation to separate deadly crashes, one that killed an 85-year-old driving a hatchback in Tumbulgum in June and another that killed a 35-year-old motorbike rider in Uki six months ago.

Eight people were reportedly arrested for drink driving and one person for driving whilst drug affected.

Drink driving offender discards interlock device

Police also arrested someone for not having an interlock device fitted.

The offence is a breach of a court order imposed on some offenders repeatedly caught drink driving, the device being designed to prevent them driving if they use it and test positive to the presence of alcohol.

Teen’s alleged drunk driving police chase ends in crash

Included in the latest list of traffic offences was the arrest of a 19-year-old Tweed Heads South man on 13 September.

He’s charged with four offences relating to driving under the influence of alcohol whilst having an expired licence and failing to stop for at a random breath test site.

Police say they took chase as the accused driver allegedly sped away from them through surrounding suburbs before they called off the pursuit for safety reasons.

The driver is then accused of crashing the vehicle in Tumbulgum before police found and arrested him.

Four months later, excavator thief caught

Meanwhile, a 35-year-old Tweed Heads South man is to face court next month charged with stealing an excavator from a work site in the Murwillumbah Central Business District.

The alleged theft is said to have happened more than four months ago on 3 May, with police making the arrest on 12 September.

The accused man has had bail refused and is to appear in Murwillumbah Local Court on 8 October.