Drink-drivers face courts in Rockhampton and Yeppoon

Here’s a list of people who recently pleaded guilty in Rockhampton and Yeppoon courts to their offending and what each of them received as punishments.

The following people pleaded guilty in Rockhampton and Yeppoon courts recently to drink-driving and alcohol-related offending.

Yeppoon Magistrates Court, March 31:

Brendan Ross Lynch, 41, was caught drink-driving on Farnborough Beach on January 30.

He blew a reading of .065.

The court heard that Lynch was a mechanic who also owned his own business.

With a previous drink-driving conviction from 2017, Lynch was fined $550 and disqualified from driving for four months.

Rockhampton Magistrates Court, March 29:

Paul Wagenknecht, 39, blew a reading of .084 when he was caught drink-driving on the Bruce Highway at Etna Creek on March 8.

The court heard that Wagenknecht was on a probationary licence at the time and on his history was a previous drink-driving offence in June, 2021.

Solicitor Samantha Legrady said Wagenknecht was a coal miner who would “likely lose his job” as a result of this offence and the subsequent licence disqualification.

Wagenknecht was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Logan Andrew Warren, 26, blew a reading of .128 when he was caught drink-driving on Price Avenue, North Rockhampton, on January 30.

He was fined $700 and disqualified from driving for five months.

Yeppoon Magistrates Court, March 17: 

James Arthur Baker, 59, was caught high-range drink-driving with a reading of .187 on Taranganba Road, Yeppoon, on February 4.

The court heard Baker had no relevant history of this sort in the past five years but he did have five previous drink-driving convictions on his record.

Magistrate Cameron Press fined Baker $1200 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

P-plater Thomas Brett Williams, 20, blew a reading of .086 when he was caught drink-driving on Appleton Drive, Yeppoon, on January 17.

Solicitor Krissy Cummins said that Williams, who works for NRG Industrial at Moranbah, would have his role affected because of a licence disqualification.

With no offending of this sort on his traffic history, Williams was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Katie Makie Allen, 23, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a motor vehicle that was in a driveway while under the influence of liquor.

The court heard that on December 22 last year, at 12.22am, police were called to a Scenic Highway residence in relation to another matter.

When police arrived, they saw a vehicle parked in a car park at the rear of a complex.

Allen was sitting in the driver’s seat and police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen told the court that the vehicle operated on a “proximity key” and as such, it did not need the key to be placed in the ignition to start it.

Sgt Ongheen said the key was on the passenger seat along with Allen’s belongings and it was “in range” to start the vehicle.

The court heard that Allen admitted to police that she had driven the vehicle “up the driveway” and she said she had only driven a short distance before being stopped by an acquaintance.

During a random breath test, Allen returned a blood alcohol reading of .162.

The court heard that Allen had no offending of this sort on her traffic history.

She was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for six months.

P-plater Mikaela Susan Campbell, 18, blew a reading of .088 when she was caught drink-driving on Queen Street, Yeppoon, on January 8.

Representing herself in court, Campbell told Magistrate Cameron Press that she was a restaurant manager at Yeppoon and this offence was “definitely a once off”.

Mr Press fined her $600 and disqualified her from driving for three months.

Blair Robert James Fletcher-Blazely, 28, pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop, and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

Police Prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen said on January 9, about 12.18am, police were patrolling Matthew Flinders Drive when they stopped at the intersection with the Scenic Highway.

Sgt Ongheen said police saw Fletcher-Blazely’s vehicle fail to stop at a stop line when approaching red traffic lights.

Police followed the vehicle and intercepted it on Appleton Drive.

Sgt Ongheen said Fletcher-Blazely initially failed to comply with a random breath test before eventually providing a specimen of breath which was positive.

After being taken to the police station, Fletcher-Blazely failed to provide a specimen of breath as required.

The court heard that Fletcher-Blazely, a father of four, was convicted in October of 2020 of failing to provide a specimen of breath and that he also had a previous drink-driving offence on his record.

Magistrate Cameron Press fined him $1320 and disqualified him from driving for 10 months.

Claire Monique Milburn, 42, had been to the islands with friends before being caught drink-driving on Yeppoon’s Adelaide Park Road at 5.42pm on January 16.

Milburn blew a reading of .088.

The court heard that Milburn had no prior offending of this sort on her traffic history.

Solicitor Joanne Madden said on the day Milburn was caught, she had been to “the islands” with friends and had been drinking.

Ms Madden said Milburn, who worked as a barista, got a lift home and had been home for about three hours when she felt she would be okay to drive.

Milburn was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for three months.

Macauley Jay Brown, 22, copped a three-year driving ban after he was caught “hooning around” while drunk and disqualified by a court order.

Read Brown’s full story HERE.