Redlands City Council mayor Karen Williams has admitted driving after drinking “several glasses of wine” on Thursday night.
The ABC understands that Ms Williams was taken to hospital with minor injuries after her car crashed that night.
A Queensland Police spokesman said the investigation into an accident in which a station wagon “left the road and hit a tree” at the intersection of Queen and Wellington Streets in Cleveland was continuing around 9pm on Thursday.
“The driver, a 55-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment,” a spokesperson said.
Police said no one else was injured in the accident and the investigation is continuing.
Earlier in the day, the Redlands City Council budget for 2022-23 was handed over.
‘Apologies for my actions’
In a statement to the ABC, Ms Williams said she “made a serious error of judgment and drove after drinking several glasses of wine”.
“I am extremely sorry for my actions and incredibly grateful that no one else was involved or injured,” Williams said.
“I will seek advice and continue to assist the police in their investigation.”
Ms Williams has recently been in the media after commenting on the conviction of an 18-year-old convicted of manslaughter for the deaths of Matthew Field and Kate Leadbetter in 2021.
The then 17-year-old was under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he hit Mr Field and Mrs Leadbetter with a speeding stolen four-wheel drive in Alexandra Hills.
The teen – who cannot be named because he was convicted as a minor – was sentenced to 10 years in prison on more than a dozen charges, including two counts of manslaughter.
However, after considering the teen’s early charges, his steps toward rehabilitation and “sincere remorse and shame,” the judge ordered that he be released from custody after six years.
Ms Williams was the lead petitioner of the petition to appeal the conviction of the teen charged over their deaths.
The petition called for an appeal against the case because his six-year sentence was “manifestly inadequate”.
It also called for tougher juvenile justice laws, including reintroducing bail violations.
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