Woman stole pill bottles before killing two Bay motorists

GUILTY: Nicole Marie Reynolds stole pill bottles before killing two motorists, a court has found. PHOTO / FILE

A drugged Bay of Plenty driver who ran over and killed two people and left one seriously injured has further been found guilty of stealing two pill bottles which were found in her car.

Nicole Marie Reynolds was found guilty of theft today after already pleading guilty two weeks ago to two charges of drug-driving causing death and injury.

Leigh Antoinette Rhodes, 60, died on July 29 last year when a Nissan driven by Reynolds ploughed into her, her partner Lance Carter and their friend Kenny McCrae, 52, as they changed a tyre on State Highway 29A between Baypark and Maungatapu.

At a defended hearing in Tauranga District Court today, Judge David Cameron said he was satisfied Reynolds had taken the bottles from a Mount Maunganui man's kitchen drawer while she was working as a home-helper.

Reynolds denied the charge, stating that she found the bottles in a rubbish bag in the man's kitchen and taken them to use for the storage of antihistamines.

On the day of the crash, Rhodes got a puncture in the right rear tyre of her SUV as she drove home from work about 4.15pm. The two men were changing the tyre when Reynolds struck the group.

McCrae died instantly, Rhodes died in Tauranga Hospital later than evening and Carter, who suffered serious injuries, woke up in hospital days later.

Police said Reynolds had taken methadone without a prescription and also had two other Class B controlled drugs in her system.

She also failed to comply with a compulsory impairment test and it was also revealed she was seen weaving within her lane before the collision.

Reynolds will be sentenced on March 27.