Biloela region’s shame: 13 drink and drug-drivers face court

The most shocking aspect was that seven of the drink-drivers blew readings above 0.100 with the highest being 0.185.

The Biloela region’s shame has been exposed once again, with 13 people pleading guilty in Biloela Magistrates Court on October 27 to either drink or drug-driving.

The most shocking aspect was that seven of the drink-drivers blew readings above 0.100 with the highest being 0.185.

The latest batch of culprits follows:

- 11 people pleading guilty at Biloela to these types of offences on July 28;

- 9 people on August 25;

- and 11 people on September 29.

These people pleaded guilty on October 27.

Courtland Anthony Marks, 27, blew a reading of 0.114 after he was caught driving at Baralaba on August 28.

Marks was driving home from a pub with the intention of dropping a mate home first but he was nabbed by police.

With no history of this sort, the self-employed rural contractor, who also owns a cattle business, was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Shenae May Millar, 27, drank 16 Vodka Cruisers before driving her car into a power pole at Biloela on October 7.

After the 12.30am collision, Millar drove home and when police attended her residence they saw damage to the front of the vehicle.

Millar, who works in a hospitality role at mine site camps, subsequently returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.138.

With no history at all, she was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for seven months.

She successfully applied for a work licence.

Matthew John Tuckerman, 51, blew a reading of 0.162 after police caught him driving on the Burnett Highway at Biloela on October 7.

The carpenter and builder by trade, employed at the Dawson Open Cut Mine at Baralaba as an operator, had an extensive drink-driving history but nothing in the past five years.

He was fined $1050 and disqualified from driving for nine months.

The court heard that Tuckerman would lose his job as a result of this offending.

Robert Glynn Gow, 61, blew a reading of 0.185 after police intercepted him on the Leichhardt Highway at Banana on the afternoon of September 26.

Gow was driving to get dinner at the time.

With no similar offending on his history, Gow was fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for nine months.

Chelsea Ann Short, 45, was not licensed when she was busted drink-driving on State Farm Rd, Biloela, on September 29.

Short came to the attention of police who saw her driving erratically - speeding up and slowing down, and swerving from side-to-side.

She subsequently returned a reading of 0.155.

With no similar offending in the past five years, Short was fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for nine months.

Banana Shire Council employee Joshua Scott Popp, 30, was caught driving the day after drinking at a birthday party.

Police intercepted him at Biloela on October 16, at 6.30am, and he returned a reading of 0.128.

Popp was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for five months.

Matthew Boardman, 46, was caught driving with cannabis in his system on the Burnett Highway on August 20.

The court heard that Boardman had been medically prescribed cannabis but he knew he should not have been driving.

Boardman was not fined but he was disqualified from driving for one month.

Jonathon Francis Lippitt, 37, had cannabis in his system when police nabbed him driving on the Dawson Highway at Mount Alma on September 8.

Lippitt was on a probationary driver’s licence at the time.

With a prior similar offence from August, 2020, Lippitt was fined $550 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Cannabis was in Kayla Samara Youse’s system when police pulled her over on the Dawson Highway at Mount Alma on August 24.

The 25-year-old had no similar offending on her history and she was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.

Cannabis use also got Michael Dudley Howard into trouble when police stopped him at Moura on August 29.

With nothing similar on his history in the past five years, the 41-year-old was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.

Justin Leigh Meier, 40, blew a reading of 0.111 when police caught him drink-driving at Moura on October 16.

With no similar offending in the past five years, Meier was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for five months.

He successfully applied for a work licence for his job as a truck driver.

P-plater Travis Allan Warry, 18, was caught driving with cannabis in his system at Biloela on September 10.

With no previous history, he was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Cannabis also got Darcy James O’Keefe, 30, in strife when police caught him driving on the Leichhardt Highway at Theodore on August 19.

O’Keefe, an opal cutter, had previous offending of this sort on his history and the court heard that he was taking medicinal marijuana.

He was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for six months.