Police pick up two stolen cars at freeway breath-testing station

Police looking for drink drivers on the South Eastern Freeway have ended up finding two stolen cars instead.

While they were set up at Gifford Hill on Thursday, officers breath-tested more than 500 drivers and were delighted to find not one was over the legal blood alcohol limit.

They were less thrilled to pull over a stolen car with unassigned numberplates.

They arrested a 23-year-old learner driver from Smithfield who was allegedly behind the wheel at the time; and charged him with illegal use of a motor vehicle, breaching his licence conditions and a numberplate offence.

Meanwhile, a Holden which had passed through the testing point was reported stolen soon afterwards.

Police alleged that the driver of the second car, a 31-year-old Murray Bridge woman, had given them a false name and address.

They tracked her down at her real address a short time later, arrested her and charged her with giving the false information, failing to stop, driving unlicensed, speeding and dangerous driving.

Now here’s the twist.

Police also found the owner of the apparently stolen Holden, a 51-year-old Murray Bridge woman, at the same address.

They reported her for allegedly having falsified the stolen car report, and charged the 31-year-old with aiding and abetting that offence.

Each of the women and the Smithfield man will face court in Murray Bridge.

Speeding, disqualified, drunk driver tracked down in Murray Bridge

A 26-year-old Murray Bridge man has been arrested after a speed camera allegedly detected his Holden sedan doing 175 kilometres per hour on the South Eastern Freeway on Sunday.

The car was spotted in the 110 zone at Monarto South at 7.40am.

Police arrived at the man’s home address just as he pulled into the driveway.

A licence check allegedly found he had been disqualified from driving, while a breath test allegedly produced a result of 0.168, more than three times the legal limit.

Officers impounded his car, disqualified him from driving for an extra 12 months, and warned him to expect a court date.

They also fined a passenger in the car, who they alleged had not been wearing a seatbelt.

Watch out for speed cameras in the Murraylands

Police will be monitoring drivers’ speed in the Murraylands this week.

Locations they will target include Adelaide Road, Mannum Road, Mulgundawah Road and Swanport Road in Murray Bridge.

They will also be active along the South Eastern Freeway and Dukes Highway at Monarto South, Murray Bridge, Tailem Bend and Cooke Plains; and the Princes Highway at Tailem Bend.

Watch out around Mannum and Palmer, if you're heading that way, too.

• More information: www.police.sa.gov.au.

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