Kahlia Grace Williams drives home despite police attempts to pull her over in Albany

A woman was so desperate to get home that she kept driving despite police efforts to pull her over with sirens and lights blaring. Kahlia Grace Williams, of Albany, said she continued driving because she did not want to organise a lift home if her car was impounded. Police prosecutor Dave Loverock told the Albany Magistrates Court that when police finally apprehended the 25-year-old in the driveway of her home, she told them that she believed if she was over the alcohol limit there was nothing police could do about it once she was on her property. Sgt Loverock said that about 5.35pm on July 28, Williams was driving a Mitsubishi Magna sedan at speed on Albany Highway in heavy traffic when she passed an unmarked police car. Police activated their sirens and lights and followed her to a residential street as she reached about 90km/h. She then turned on to another street, crossing on to the other side of the road before overtaking a vehicle. She eventually stopped in the driveway of her home, where police removed her from the car. Her car was impounded after the incident. “It put many, many members of the community at risk,” Sgt Loverock said. The at 6.15pm on the same night, police returned to Williams’ home and she refused them entry. Officers found 1g of cannabis and a smoking implement inside the house. Williams’ lawyer Sabrina Maine said her client pulled into her driveway because she wanted to get her car home instead of having to organise a lift if it was impounded. She was not trying to escape police, Ms Maine said. Ms Maine said her client accepted that she drove in a reckless manner and she “should have known better”. She said Williams had taken steps to address her “underlying issues” and had engaged with Palmerston and counselling. Williams pleading guilty last Thursday to reckless driving, failing to comply with a direction to stop, possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia. Magistrate Heidi Watson said Williams was lucky she was not charged with reckless driving to escape police pursuit, which carried a mandatory term of imprisonment. Ms Watson said Williams had been driving recklessly in built-up traffic and had ignored the repeated attempts of police to get her to stop. She said “someone could have been killed” or seriously injured. Williams was given a seven-month community-based order, a six-month licence disqualification and a $1300 fine.