150+ busts: Inside Warwick’s scary drink and drug driving rise

An alarming new trend in the amount of Warwick residents getting behind the wheel with meth, booze, and other dangerous substances in their system has been revealed as the town’s top cop shares how police will be cracking down.

Police say drivers risking their own and others’ lives by getting behind the wheel with drugs or alcohol in their system remains one of the biggest threats on Warwick roads, with dozens of drink or drug drivers still winding up in court each month.

Data from the Queensland Police Service indicates that 152 traffic and related offences have been reported in the Warwick area between December 16, 2021 and June 15, 2022, including both drink or drug driving charges and other traffic violations.

Warwick police acting officer-in-charge Sergeant Cameron Slater said drug driving was on the rise already in 2022, with 75 instances recorded so far this year compared to 64 within the same period in 2021.

He said drink driving had instead seen a decline so far this year, dropping from 32 at this point in 2021 down to 19.

“For the drink drivers, I think you can put that down to last year we were curtailed a bit with our random breath testing because of Covid,” Sergeant Slater said.

“We didn’t really do any mobile stuff. It was more specific and targeted random breath testing, whereas this year we’re more visible and out and about, which we think is deterring people.”

Fewer drink drivers risking it on roads in and around Warwick has also so far resulted in a lower number of high-range readings, with only one person recording a blood alcohol concentration above 0.15 so far this year, compared to three this time last year.

Sergeant Slater said meth and marijuana were the two drugs most frequently landing Warwick drivers in hot water.

“Anecdotally, if you look at the statistics over the last 10 years or so, drug driving is obviously on the increase, whereas drink driving is trending the other way,” he said.

“It’s habitual drug users of all ages that get behind the wheel. There are probably more younger drivers compared to others, but overall there’s drivers of all ages.”

As the final Covid rollbacks enable Warwick police to bump up their road patrol numbers, Sergeant Slater warned residents there would be no lenience for those busted behind the wheel while boozed-up or with drugs in their system.

“Because our patrols are centred in the town area, that’s where we do the majority of our random breath tests, but we try and get out on the country roads as well because that’s where a lot of our accidents are happening,” he said.

“It’s two-pronged with people seeing we’re out there trying to catch drink driving through our random breath testing, and the other one is that we actually do catch them and take them off the road for that period.

“That’s probably our main weapon, and the public should be aware that we’re out and about doing our RBTs in an effort to reduce the road toll and keep people safe.”

The number of drink or drug drivers fronting Warwick courts certainly has not slowed, from residents crashing their vehicles while driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol to those busted behind the wheel with whopping BAC readings.

These are some of the most shocking drink or drug driving offences covered by the Daily News in the past 12 months:

A Warwick man caught speeding down a major road while more than twice the legal alcohol limit claimed he was running late for an appointment at the time.

Richard John Evans first caught police attention when he was nabbed driving on Warwick Allora Rd at 113km/h, well above the 100km/h speed limit posted on the narrow route.

Police prosecutor Steve de Lissa told Warwick Magistrates Court that Evans was pulled up and breathalysed at the scene, recording a BAC of 0.127.

The self-represented 63-year-old blamed a “pretty crook” back for his high alcohol reading.

“I have problems sleeping and that’s why I drink, but I’ve spoken to my doctor and we’re looking at doing something about it,” Evans said.

“I’m very, very remorseful about what I did.”

Evans pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and speeding.

He was fined $925 and disqualified from driving for five months.

Shaun Robert Sergent labelled being busted behind the wheel at more than double the legal alcohol limit as a “very dumb thing to do”.

He was nabbed by police on Park Road at about midnight on October 2, where he recorded a BAC of 0.126.

Sergent told the Warwick court he didn’t usually drink for this reason, and falling off the wagon was “just stupid”.

The Warwick man pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving.

He was fined $800 and disqualified from driving for eight months.

Richard Patrick Harnett was nabbed by police while driving along a major Warwick road at more than three times the legal limit.

He was stopped while driving along Albion St and recorded a BAC of 0.167.

The 67-year-old appeared in court assisted by his daughter, telling the court he had hearing difficulties and had recently suffered serious injuries in a tractor rollover.

The pensioner pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving. He was fined $900 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Rebecca Ann Shelley landed in hot water when her erratic, alcohol-fuelled driving along the New England Highway on July 11 frightened other motorists enough to report it to police.

Warwick Magistrates Court heard the 39-year-old was “driving all over the road” and veering onto the other side of the busy highway, with other road users questioning whether she’d fallen asleep.

Police prosecutor Ken Wiggan said officers soon tracked down Shelley, finding her intoxicated and parked in the driveway of the Freedom Fuel Allora service station.

“Her park lights were on, she had a piece of chicken in her hand and a box of KFC on the front seat,” Sergeant Wiggan said.

“She told police she’d had a few drinks before driving, but had pulled over to have some dinner.”

Shelley was breath-tested at the scene and returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.120, meaning her licence was suspended on the spot.

She pleaded guilty to one count of drink driving. She was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for seven months.

A Warwick man who ploughed his car through a fence and into a tree while driving drunk and high on a main road only narrowly avoided time behind bars.

Nicholas Daniel Burgis lost control of his car while turning right into Jackie Howe Drive from Albion St on May 5, sliding and running along the nature trip before hitting the fence.

Warwick Magistrates Court heard the 20-year-old abandoned his “significantly damaged” car and fled the scene in a nearby ute, but his escape was short-lived and he wound up in hospital later that night, where police noted his bloodshot eyes and a strong smell of liquor.

Police prosecutor Barry Stevens said Burgis told police he had been drinking and smoking marijuana prior to driving that night.

The court heard Burgis was on probation at the time and had a small criminal history, but neither were for similar offences.

Defence lawyer Amber Acreman said her client had missed his regular medication for several days so used the illicit substances as a substitute, but knew it was the wrong choice and was now focused on rehabilitation.

Burgis pleaded guilty to one count each of driving under the influence, driving without due care and attention, and unlicensed driving.

He was sentenced to three months’ jail, wholly suspended for nine months, and placed on probation for two years.

His licence was also disqualified for two years and three months.

Matthew Graham Foster was taken off the roads for four months after he was nabbed behind the wheel at close to three times the alcohol limit and became threatening towards police.

The 41-year-old was pulled over for a random breath test on Pratten St on May 10, telling police he had only just finished a drink before getting in his car and would need to wait 20 minutes before being breathalysed.

Police prosecutor Andrew Grafton told Warwick Magistrates Court that the 41-year-old became argumentative towards police and threatened to harm officers, eventually needing to be handcuffed for everyone’s safety.

Foster then recorded a massive BAC of 0.144 at the scene.

The Warwick man claimed he only lashed out at police because he had a puppy sitting in the back of the car, which he was desperate to free from the vehicle while he waited out the 20-minute delay.

Foster told the court he had undergone surgery to have eight teeth removed a few days prior to the incident and was also taking antidepressants, which proved a dangerous cocktail when mixed with the alcohol he consumed.

Magistrate Virginia Sturgess told Foster his huge reading was well above any error of judgment and he should have known he was too intoxicated to drive.

“Whatever else was going on, Mr Foster, clearly you should have been well aware that you should not have been driving,” she said.

Foster pleaded guilty to one count each of drink driving and obstructing police.

He was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for four months.

A Warwick P-plater busted driving at just under three times the alcohol limit has been told he was “well over any error in judgment” he could possibly have made.

Police nabbed James Tristan Walker on Glengallan Rd at 11.40pm on March 25, where he recorded a huge BAC of 0.149.

Defence lawyer Clare Hine said her client had no criminal or traffic history prior to this offence, with his shocking reading driving his parents to bring him back to live at home and refuse to give him a lift to social events.

Walker pleaded guilty to drink driving. He was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for four months.