South Burnett thieves and fraudsters revealed
From an employee who stole hundreds of dollars of tobacco from his work to a woman stealing an incredible amount of Lego, here are the people who’ve pleaded guilty to theft or fraud in South Burnett courts.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There’s been no shortage of thieves and fraudsters standing before Burnett court’s in recent years, from an employee who stole hundreds of dollars of tobacco from his work to a woman stealing a stunning amount of lego.
Here are the circumstances surrounding some of the most shocking frauds, burglaries or thefts to take place in and around the region.
Thief slammed for stealing from Wondai SES group
While heroic members of the community were pulling on high-vis to battle a flood crisis that hit the region, one drunk 22-year-old decided to make a quick buck by stealing vital equipment from emergency crews.
Cohen Jason Beggs was heavily intoxicated when he bumped into two men in Murgon who offered him a way to make quick money – break into the Wondai SES shed.
Just before midnight on January 7, Beggs and his co-accused broke into the shed and made off with a LandCruiser and thousands of dollars worth of chainsaws and other equipment.
Not satisfied with the initial bounty, they later returning and took a generator and floodlights.
Beggs was sentenced to 12 months in jail, which was wholly suspended for three years.
Woman steals thousands of dollars of Lego
A woman who went on a statewide crime spree during Covid lockdown and stole more than a thousand dollars worth of toys, was berated for her “callous disregard” of the thousands of Australians who died from the virus.
Tegan Joy Morrison, who now lives in Deception Bay, face court for multiple crimes including stealing and breaching Covid restrictions.
The 22-year-old breached lockdown by travelling from Brisbane to the South Burnett in August last year. She also stole more than $1000 of lego from a Big W store.
Morrison did not appear in court in person but was convicted of stealing, trespass, receiving tainted property, and failing to comply with Covid restrictions.
She was fined $1500 and ordered to pay $1145 in compensation to the Strathpine Big W.
Jailtime for destructive crime spree across southeast Qld
A South Burnett man involved in a wave of robberies across southeast Queensland has blamed peer-pressure for his spate of criminal exploits.
Arthur Robert Martin Carlo, 22, pleaded guilty to a string of 18 charges racked up between 2019 and 2022, including a wild Wednesday where he stole a car and broke into a string of properties across Tiaro, Kilkivan, Woolooga and Ban Ban Springs and Gayndah.
Kicking off at the Royal Hotel in Tiaro on July 28, Carlo and a group of friends smashed their way into the business through the glass door using a shovel and stole alcohol before heading off to Kilkivan in a stolen black Mazda.
The owners of the Kilkivan General Store woke to a loud bang when Carlo smashed his way into the business using the same shovel and stole cigarettes, ice cream and drinks, before taking off to a tobacconist in Gympie where he took a till filled with about $2000.
Carlo pleaded guilty to four counts of entering a premises and committing indictable offence by break, four counts of breaching bail, three counts of failing to appear, two counts of unlawful use, entering a premises and committing indictable offence, entering a premises with intent, entering a dwelling and committing indictable offence, and evading a fare.
He was sentenced to 15 months in jail with immediate parole.
Carlo was also ordered to pay $478 in compensation for damage done to two businesses.
No conviction recorded
Employee busted stealing from boss of 10 years
A Kingaroy man’s decade long career went up in smoke when a suspicious employer took steps to find missing product and busted his worker stealing tobacco.
Brandon Wojtasek was busted on CCTV footage pocketing the pricey product after his boss installed cameras to find out why items were missing.
An audit later revealed a whopping $1657 or 18 packets in total had vanished between January and February.
Wojtasek, 32, pleaded guilty to stealing and was fined $500 and ordered to pay $1675 restitution.
No conviction was recorded.
Fraud ordered to pay back thousands for Facebook Marketplace fraud
A Kingaroy fraudster has finally been forced to face the music after months of agreeing to sell the same PlayStation 5 console to nearly two dozen people, raking in thousands of dollars of cash to cover his rent and bills.
Xealand Lance Eustace’s fraudulent escapades began on January 10 when he listed his PS5 for sale on Facebook Marketplace under the fake profile Elijah King.
The first victim transferred $100 to the 19-year-old for the console before finding herself blocked by the seller and out of pocket.
Eustice continued the same pattern 21 times and collected anywhere from $100 to $650 in each transaction, police prosecutor Lisa Manns told the Kingaroy Magistrates Court.
Eustace reeled in a total $5725 before police tracked him down in March, with officers finding the elusive console in his Kingaroy home.
Eustace was placed on 12 months’ probation and ordered to pay $5725 in compensation.
No conviction was recorded.
Horror as 12yo girl’s ride harness releases mid-air
The operator of a “mega drop” ride a 12-year-old girl fell from when her harness released mid-ride at the Kilcoy Show has been fined $50000.
Your ultimate guide to every gun club in Queensland
A new public shooting gallery catering to unlicensed shooters as young as 11 has opened as firearm sports experience a surge in popularity. See our exclusive list of all gun clubs in Queensland.