Jesse Helen Fritz: Former Toowoomba youth worker sentenced for hit and run

A former youth worker has been sentenced for driving while intoxicated and colliding with a motorcyclist before fleeing the scene and crashing into a tree outside busy Brisbane nightclubs.

A late-night drive ended tragically for an unsuspecting motorcyclist after he was knocked from his seat by a Toowoomba woman driving dangerously, speeding and intoxicated, a court has heard.

Jesse Helen Fritz, 37, appeared in Ipswich Magistrates Court on Tuesday where she pleaded guilty to three charges: dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, failing to comply with the duties of a driver involved in a crash, and failing to provide a blood specimen.

The court heard the offending happened just before 9pm on a Saturday night at “various locations” on the periphery of Brisbane City in February last year, when she was 35 years old.

Fritz had been arguing with her ex-partner in Spring Hill when, in an intoxicated state, she decided to get behind the wheel of a late model Ford Mustang and drive away.

According to a statement of facts tendered to the court and agreed upon by both the prosecution and the defence, Fritz’s ex-partner attempted to stop her from driving away, to no avail.

He called the police and informed them she was driving while intoxicated.

The court heard Fritz was travelling along Musgrave Rd at high speed when she sideswiped a motorcycle, knocking the motorcyclist from his seat.

The motorcyclist was taken to hospital and was said to have suffered neck, back, waist, and leg injuries which, while not further detailed, were “significant” but fell short of grievous bodily harm. Fritz fled the scene.

A short time later, police found her car parked the wrong way on a one-way street, Petrie Tce. She completed a burnout, “fishtailed” the car, mounted a footpath, and crashed into a tree.

It is understood the area was busy at the time – there being a number of nightclubs, bars, and restaurants in use nearby – meaning a number of people were at risk of being injured as a result of her dangerous driving.

Upon being taken to the hospital, police engaged with Fritz and observed that her speech was slurred, and that she was forgetful, argumentative, belligerent, and unable to follow instructions.

She also failed to supply a sample of her blood for testing.

When interviewed by police again, months later in September, Fritz said she did not remember much from the incident other than that her car collided with a tree.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Nick Turnbull said Fritz struggled with alcohol misuse and would therefore benefit from a period of probation.

Defence lawyer Matthew Fairclough of Walker Pender Group agreed his client did suffer from an alcohol disorder as well as post traumatic stress disorder, though she was working to address her issues.

He noted Fritz, formerly a youth worker at a detention centre but currently unemployed, had an “unremarkable” criminal history with dated entries.

He said her pleas of guilty to the offences before the court on Tuesday were “relatively timely”.

Magistrate Robert Walker described her offending as a “serious example” of dangerous operation of a vehicle, given it involved injury to another road user as well as damage to other vehicles.

He noted Fritz was “clearly remorseful” and motivated to continue her alcohol addiction rehabilitation, but also that she was vulnerable to relapse.

For the dangerous operation of a vehicle offence, Fritz was sentenced to a nine-month term of imprisonment to be wholly suspended for an operational period of 18 months.

She was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 12 months and will be subject to a probation order for nine months.

Convictions were recorded for all offences.