Past charges against mushroom poisoning suspect uncovered
Erin Patterson, the woman under investigation for allegedly cooking the deadly mushroom meal that claimed the lives of three people, has previously faced a series of charges after being involved in a drunk-driving incident.
According to reports from The Australian, the 49-year-old was convicted in 2004 of driving drunk in an unregistered vehicle.
Court records have revealed that Patterson, who was then known as Erin Trudi Scutter and was aged 29, faced legal consequences for her reckless actions, losing her license for 30 months after crashing her vehicle in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne while heavily intoxicated.
The reports revealed that after the crash, she fled from authorities by speeding away from the crash scene, reaching 95 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.
The convictions that were handed down were for charges of failing to stop a vehicle after an accident, failing to provide identifying information after causing property damage, using an unregistered vehicle on a highway, failing to provide information after property damage, and driving at 95 km/h in a restricted 60 km/h zone.
At the time of the crash, Erin's blood alcohol level was 0.14 per cent, indicating significant impairment, however the charges of drink driving were dropped, potentially due to overlapping elements in other charges.
Patterson has yet to comment on the previous charges, after being advised by her lawyer not to make any public comments as she remains under investigation for the deadly mushroom meal.
She has denied any wrongdoing in the mushroom incident, although according to police, they are investigating Patterson because she was the only adult among five who did not either die or suffer severe illness after ingesting the deadly mushrooms.
Image credits: A Current Affair