Toowoomba court: Drink/drug drivers across the Darling Downs busted
A long list of drink and drug drivers have faced Toowoomba courts after getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. Here are some of the people who have been busted this year.
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Toowoomba Magistrates Court has dealt with a number of people pleading guilty to drink-driving and drug-driving offences this year, including:
• A 50-year-old man seen swerving his car on the New England Highway on his way home from shopping ultimately blew a breath alcohol reading three and a half times the legal limit.
Police were called about 2pm, September 29, after a car was seen to swerve side to side as it headed south on the New England Highway near Highfields, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.
The registration number given to police led officers to the home of Brendon Mason George who, when police arrived, was unpacking his shopping from the car, the court heard.
The officers noted an open can of beer in the car’s console and George told police he had just driven home from the Highfields Plaza minutes earlier.
The 50-year-old blew a breath alcohol reading of 0.175, the court was told.
The self-represented George pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor.
He told the court he had been without his driver’s licence since the incident and as a result couldn’t work as a cleaner.
Magistrate Clare Kelly fined George $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months.
• Dropping into the pub for a carton but staying longer in the bar with mates has left a Meringandan man without his driver’s licence for five months.
Jake Dylan Smith had dropped into the pub to pick up a carton of beer on November 3, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.
However, after running into some mates in the bar, he stayed longer than anticipated before driving home.
The 24-year-old was pulled over by police on Goombungee Meringandan Road and ultimately blew a breath alcohol reading of 0.149, the court was told.
The boilermaker/farmer pleaded guilty to drink driving and was fined $750 and disqualified from driving for five months, with an application for a work licence successful.
• Driving a friend home from work proved an expensive mistake for a 23-year-old Toowoomba man who blew twice the legal limit and was found to be driving unlicensed.
John Jacob Bowe was pulled over on Herries St about 4am, November 12, and told police he had four glasses of Jack Daniels and cola before driving.
He blew a breath alcohol reading of 0.1 and checks of his driving record found his licence had been demerit point suspended, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.
He pleaded guilty to drink driving and unlicensed driving as well as to driving on a suspended licence at Currimundi on October 5.
Bowe was fined a total $1000 and disqualified from driving for four months.
• Lachlan William Douglas, 22, was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.103 on Bridge St, Newtown, 2.45am, October 17.
• Neville John Rochford, 58, of Cambooya, was fined $500and disqualified four months (work licence granted), after returning a BAC of 0.104 on the New England Highway at Hodgson Vale about 4.20pm, October 27.
• Thomas Adrian White, 52, was fined $350, disqualified two months (work licence granted), after testing positive for methamphetamine when driving on the Warrego Highway near Gatton about 10.10am, August 24.
• Dale Clayton Pattison, 43, of Esk, was fined $400 and disqualified for three months after testing positive for methamphetamine while driving on James St, Toowoomba, about 10.55am, October 11.
• James Joseph Osborn, 47, was fined $400, disqualified three months, after testing positive for cannabis while driving on the Toowoomba Connection road, Withcott, 5.10pm, September 11.
• An “irresponsible and immature” decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle has resulted in a young driver facing court.
Harry James Tombs pleaded guilty at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on November 3 to drink driving over the general alcohol limit while on a provisional licence.
On September 16, 2022 at about 11.10pm, police pulled over Tombs on Alderley Road, Harristown where an RBT was conducted, police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton told the court.
Tombs, 21, did another breath test at the police station which returned a reading of 0.086.
Tombs told police at the time he had a few drinks with friends that night, but made the decision to drive home as his girlfriend, who had come from Dalby, was waiting for him.
Solicitor Chelsea Saldumbide told the court her client had completed the Queensland Traffic Offenders Program and demonstrated great insight and it had been a “significant learning experience” for him.
Magistrate Clare Kelly took into account Tombs early plea and his completion of the QTOP, however said his alcohol limit was meant to read 0 per cent.
“You certainly put yourself at risk and everyone else at risk when you drive with anything over 0 per cent,” she said.
Tombs was fined $350, referred to SPER, and was disqualified from driving for three months with no conviction recorded.
• William Clayton McErlean pleaded guilty at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on October 25 to one charge of drug driving.
At 4.08pm, police were conducting mobile patrols on Anzac Avenue on September 2, 2022, when McErlean, 27, was pulled over and a roadside test conducted, which returned a positive reading to cannabis in his saliva, police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb said.
McErlean, who self represented, told the court he used cannabis to help him sleep and manage anxiety, and he was hoping to get a prescription, but had not happened at the time.
McErlean told the court the loss of his license would impact him getting to work, and he would use an electric skateboard.
Magistrate Kyna Morice took McErlean’s circumstances and his early plea into account, and fined him $450 and referred to SPER, as well as disqualifying his licence for two months with no conviction recorded.
• Jackson James Moore pleaded guilty on October 25, 2022 at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court to drink driving while over the non-alcohol limit on a provisionary licence.
Police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the court on October 1, 2022, police pulled over Moore on South Street, Toowoomba around 8.40pm where an RBT was taken which returned a reading of 0.02 per cent.
Moore, who was self represented, told the court it was a “silly and unlucky” mistake where he had two beers before going to dinner for his father-in-law’s 60th birthday, and thought he would be okay.
“I honestly thought the restricted time was over. I literally only had a few weeks left,” he said.
Moore, 24, told the court he was “in a bit of strife” because he worked as a truck driver and would need to work in another position within the company.
Magistrate Kyna Morice told Moore he needed to be more mindful into the future before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, particularly because he lost his license in 2021.
Moore was fined $500 and referred to SPER, and disqualified from driving for three months with no conviction recorded.
• A North Queensland station hand felt the harsh penalties of the law after he was caught endangering the lives of others during the widely popular Carnival of Flowers.
Dylan William Dutschke, 26, was visiting the Garden City from Normanton when he met up with an old friend in the Toowoomba Safe Night Precinct on September 17, 2022, and proceeded to conduct “terribly reckless” behaviour that could have ended in “catastrophic” circumstances, the court heard.
Dutschke pleaded guilty on October 25 at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court to mid-range drink driving and driving without due care after conducting stationary burnouts on Ruthven Street.
Dutschke was captured on film behind the wheel of his newly purchased vehicle performing burnouts while the CBD was heavily populated for the Carnival of Flowers, police prosecutor Anita Page told the court.
An initial roadside test resulted in a 0.182 alcohol reading, before another test at the Toowoomba Police Station showed 0.114.
Dutschke was fined $1600 to be referred to SPER and was disqualified from driving for 10 months.
• Daniel William Anthony Edwards, 38, self represented himself and pleaded guilty at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on October 25 to drug driving while on a probationary license.
Police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the court police intercepted a vehicle on Holberton St around 9.18am on September 7, 2022, where a roadside drug test was conducted by Edwards.
The test confirmed the presence of cannabis in his saliva, and Edwards admitted to smoking three to four cones the previous night, and had done so every day since he was 13.
“I want it dealt with so I can move on with my life again,” Edwards said.
Edwards told the court the loss of his license meant he was unable to drive his children to school or work, and he has quit using the drug the previous week.
Magistrate Kyna Morice commended Edwards actions and wished him all the best with sobriety, however encouraged him to access available services if requiring additional support.
The part-time painter was disqualified from driving for three months and fined $400 to be referred to SPER, with no conviction recorded.
• John Ajok Bol, 18, pleaded guilty to drug driving while holding a provisional licence, after he was pulled over by police on the way to TAFE.
On September 8, 2022 at around 8.40am, police conducted a roadside drug test on Bol on Lindsey Street, which returned a positive reading for cannabis in his saliva, police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on October 25.
Bol, who self represented, told the court that he admitted to police he had smoked the night before, and used cannabis recreationally to help relax, sleep and deal with anxiety.
The TAFE student studies automotive industries, was on Centrelink payments and told the court he “probably wont be smoking anymore”.
Magistrate Kyna Morice fined Bol $300 to be referred to SPER, and issued a licence disqualification for three months, with no conviction recorded.
• Craig Ashley Muller pleaded guilty at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on October 25 to drug driving, after roadside tests detected two illicit drugs in his system.
Police pulled over Muller on West Street, Toowoomba on September 5, 2022 at 2.52pm, where a test detected methamphetamine and cannabis present in his saliva, police prosecutor Rowan Brewster-Webb told the court.
Muller, who self represented himself, told the police he had used cannabis three days prior, and methamphetamine one week prior to the roadside test.
“I tale drugs because it eases the pain … of depression, of life,” he said.
Magistrate Kyna Morice encouraged Muller, 43, to access support to assist with his mental health, which in turn would decrease his drug dependency.
Muller, who lives out of Toowoomba, told the court he was on the way to the hospital on the day, he was unemployed and was receiving Centrelink benefits.
Magistrate Morice took his circumstances into account and disqualified Muller from driving for one month and fined him $300 to be referred to SPER with no convictions recorded.
• Dillon Hunter McFeeters pleaded guilty to one charge of mid-range drink driving at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday, October 20.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Willson told the court police attended the scene of a single vehicle accident on Bridge and Tor St on June 2, 2022 at around 10.50pm to find an unconscious McFeeters behind the wheel.
Numerous empty Bundaberg Rum cans were located inside the written-off vehicle, including in the cup holder, and McFeeters was assessed and transported to Toowoomba Hospital where a blood alcohol concentration test returned a 0.115 reading.
Magistrate Kay Philipson said while she took into account McFeeters’ early plea of guilty and that he had completed the Queensland Traffic Offenders Program, she would make a decision to “reflect the seriousness of the offence”.
McFeeters was disqualified from driving for three months from Thursday, and served a $750 fine to be referred to SPER. No conviction was recorded.
• Ebony Christine Steel, 27, pleaded guilty to driving with cannabis in her system at the Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Friday, October 21.
On September 3, 2022, Steel was pulled over by police for an RBT on The Tollbar, Redwood around 2.40pm, where tests confirmed the presence of cannabis in her saliva.
Steel, who was a previous Uber Eats driver, admitted to a recent use of the prescribed medication for chronic pain management.
She was disqualified from driving for six months and issued a $900 fine to be referred to SPER.
• Kylie Gardner, 40, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, evasion, breach of bail and operating a vehicle during number plate confiscation after she endangered motorists and pedestrians near a busy school pick-up zone.
The court was told that on February 18 at about 2.45pm, Gardner was travelling in a Ford Falcon when she fishtailed, spun 180 degrees and drove a car with a confiscated licence plate on the other side of the road, before abandoning her vehicle and fleeing on foot.
Upon interception by police, a blood test detected cannabis in her system and she was arrested.
Gardner was sentenced to six months imprisonment with immediate parole, was disqualified from driving for six months and fined $7187.50.
• Jarrod Gary Coley, 28, pleaded guilty to drink driving within the general limit, and driving an uninsured and unregistered vehicle, the Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday, October 18.
On August 14, police intercepted Coley’s vehicle in Kearney Springs for a random breath test, where it was discovered Coley had attended Brewoomba with friends earlier that day, and had been drinking heavy beer.
Police prosecutor Anita Page told the court Coley returned an alcohol reading of 0.072.
Coley was disqualified from driving for six months and dealt a $650 fine to be referred to SPER.
• Michael Leigh Cartan, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of mid-range drink driving after he was intercepted by police behind the wheel on Curzon Street, the Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Alister Windsor told the court police conducted an RBT and transported Cartan to Toowoomba Police Station on September 30 shortly after 11pm, when he returned a reading of 0.113.
Cartan, a self-employed real estate was disqualified from driving for three months and granted a $500 fine to be referred to SPER, however was also granted a restricted license to conduct work.
• Melissa Maree Pascoe, pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving after she crashed her co-worker’s car on the New England Highway around 7pm on September 21, 2022.
The court was told Pascoe had been drinking at a pub with co-workers earlier that day, and was asked to drive her co-worker and their car home due to them reportedly being “too drunk”.
Pascoe returned a roadside reading of 0.111, and was detained by police.
Pascoe, who works as an operations manager for a Toowoomba carpet business, represented herself in court on October 12, and begged with Judge Clare Kelly to authorise a restricted work licence, claiming she would lose her employment if she was unable to drive.
Pascoe was fined $600 and was disqualified from driving for five months.
However, a restricted work licence was granted to Pascoe to be used for strictly work purposes only between the hours of 5am - 5pm Monday to Friday, and she must maintain a log book. No conviction was recorded.
• Lawrence Anthony John Smith, pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving after he was intercepted by police who had been at his address for an unrelated matter.
The court was told Smith was behind the wheel about 2.47am when he arrived at his home, but upon seeing police in the driveway he turned off the car’s headlights and parked in a neighbour’s driveway, only to be found by officers lying across the driver’s seat.
Returning a positive reading for alcohol, the court was told the full-time crane operator had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.148, which his solicitor Hamish Chapman said “just skated under” a high range reading.
Smith was fined $1800, referred to SPER, and suspended from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months with a conviction recorded.
• Cracking a can of rum while taking a work phone call in hotel carpark after a knock-off beers was enough to tip a Glencoe man over the limit.
Benjamin James Williams, 46, was intercepted on his way home by police at Gowrie Junction on June 30 this year.
The self-employed plasterer returned a BAC reading of .070, and in court on October 6 pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit.
The father of two’s solicitor Claire Graham submitted to the court that Williams had struggled with alcohol in the past which was exacerbated by his father’s death in 2008 but that he had sought psychological help and was now medicated.
Magistrate Louise Shephard handed Williams a fine of $1200 and disqualified his licence for 12 months.
• Dyllen James White pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit after he was stopped by police on Bridge Street on the afternoon of August 5 this year and returned a BAC reading of .052.
After taking the witness stand as part of an application for a restricted work licence, magistrate Louise Shephard was satisfied that a disqualification from driving would cause White severe financial hardship, as he required his licence for work up to six days a week as a gyprock plasterer.
White was suspended from holding a driver’s licence for one month and fined $350 which was referred to SPER.
• A decision to carry on drinking downtown proved a huge mistake for a Toowoomba teenager ordered off the road for more than two years.
Cody Ryan Edmondstone was seen getting out of a dual cab ute finishing off a drink in the Neil Street car park about 2.10pm, September 9, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.
The 19-year-old initially denied to police that he had been driving but the car park’s CCTV cameras caught him alighting from the ute after reversing it into park.
He blew a breath/alcohol reading of 0.127 and checks of his driving record found he had been disqualified from driving by the same court on a previous drink-driving and unlicensed driving offence.
Edmondstone pleaded guilty to both driving offences. He was fined $1400 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years and three months.
• Bundamba man Benjamin Wesley Stoneman was warned by a Toowoomba magistrate what lay in store for him should he be caught driving with drugs in his system yet again.
“Do you want to go to jail?” Magistrate Kay Philipson asked the self represented 21-year-old.
“Not really,” Stoneman replied.
He pleaded guilty to driving with cannabis in his system after being pulled over by police on Ipswich Street, Toowoomba, about 11.45am, August 16.
Checks of his driver’s licence found he had been disqualified from driving by the court in September 2021 for two years.
Ms Philipson told Stoneman she hoped he hadn’t driven up the range for court.
“How did you get here? … Don’t answer that!” Ms Philipson said.
“I didn’t drive,” Stoneman assured her.
Ms Philipson placed Stoneman on 12 months probation and disqualified him from driving for two years and three months.
• David Allen Cross pleaded guilty to driving with cannabis in his system after he was stopped by police on Prescott Street, Toowoomba, about 8.15am, August 17.
Noting he had two previous like offences, Magistrate Kay Philipson disqualified him from driving for six months with no further penalty.
• Kaine Luke Carpenter pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified by a court on Hursley Road, about 2.45pm, September 1.
Magistrate Kay Philipson told the 24-year-old he was “jeopardising his future” by engaging in such risky acts.
Carpenter was fined $500 and his licence disqualified for two years.
• Jasper Ray Baldwin pleaded guilty to driving with cannabis in his system on Video Avenue, Mt Lofty, about 11.45pm, June 18.
The 18-year-old bar attendant told the court his actions were “stupid”.
He was fined $350 and had his driver’s licence disqualified for three months.
• Aaron Philip Gamble tested positive to drugs during a roadside drug test on O’Quinn St, Harristown, after being pulled over about 9.05am, August 15.
A subsequent analysis of his saliva test proved positive for methamphetamine.
He pleaded guilty to drug driving and was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month.
• A competition pool player put herself behind the 8-ball when she crashed her car while drink-driving on her way home from the pub.
Southbrook woman Jennifer Louise Ronnfeldt was playing the last round of the pool comp at a Pittsworth hotel on the night of August 31 when the 43-year-old crashed her car through a fence on Helens Street, Pittsworth, about 11.30pm attempting to drive home.
Testing positive for alcohol during a roadside breath test, Ronnfeldt was taken to Toowoomba Police Station for a breath analysis test and returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.171, he said.
Pleading guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor, Ronnfeldt was fined $900 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for the minimum mandatory period of six months. No conviction was recorded.
• High on ice and behind the wheel of a stolen car, a Toowoomba woman led police on a wild pursuit from Charlton to Ipswich that came to an end after the vehicle’s tyres were spiked and she crashed into an innocent bystander’s car.
In total Dodd pleaded guilty to 19 offences, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while adversely affected, evasion, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, receiving tainted property and driving without a licence.
Declaring 263 days of pre-sentence custody as time served, Dodd was jailed for two years, with an immediate parole release date.
• A Toowoomba man was the architect of his own demise through a misguided notion that he could drink nine beers in a night and still be under the limit hours later.
Jaden Scott Williams fronted court on September 20 where he pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving.
Police intercepted Williams about 3.57am on September 3 where he recorded a reading of 0.119.
The court was told Williams had consumed between eight and nine beers the night prior, but thought because he had two in the first hour and one an hour since then, he would be fine to drive, a notion that magistrate Lisa O’Neill described as “disturbing”.
The architect was fined $650 and disqualified from driving for five months, however a work licence application was granted with no conviction recorded.
• A late-night fast food run has ended in a jail sentence for a Cambooya man after he rammed emergency service vehicles while drug-affected after he was found passed out behind the wheel of a stolen vehicle.
Staff of the Wilsonton McDonald’s restaurant called emergency services about 11.30pm on May 23 after they found Daniel Stephen Wright asleep behind the wheel in the drive through lane.
Suspecting he was under the influence of drugs, paramedics called police for assistance but the 26-year-old flew into a rage, ramming the emergency service vehicles in an attempt to flee.
In total Wright pleaded guilty to 10 offences on Monday, including dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, unlawful use of a motor vehicle, obstructing police, unlawful possession of suspected stolen property, unlawful possession of a weapon and possessing a dangerous drug.
Wright was sentenced to two years jail. With 117 days of pre-sentence custody declared as time served, Wright’s parole eligibility was set at January 19, 2023. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
• Toowoomba man Yol Simon Mayuoto was drunk behind the wheel when he crashed through a fence and into a tree, seriously injuring his passenger.
Police responded to a crash about 11.10pm on November 18, 2021 after they heard a loud skid, bang and an engine revving while patrolling on Hill Street.
After arriving at the incident on Herries Street police found a vehicle on the side of the road that had crashed through a fence and into a tree.
When police arrived the court was told the then 19-year-old tried to get into the vehicle again and revved the engine but was told to get out.
Mareng returned a positive breath test roadside, and returned a reading of 0.219. On September 13 he pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance and was sentenced to a two year probation order, fined $300 referred to SPER and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 12 months. Convictions were recorded.
• Benjamin James Cassar, who was caught by police driving while disqualified after he was stopped on Wine Drive in Wilsonton about 7pm on February 3.
The 29-year-old returned a positive roadside drug test and a follow-up saliva test showed Cassar had cannabis in his system at the time of driving.
The self represented Cassar pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified by a court and drug driving.
Magistrate Gary Finger noted this was Cassar’s third time before the court for drug driving and fined him a total $2300 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years on the disqualified driving charge and a further 10 months for drug driving.
• Joel David Harper, who was found by police asleep in his wagon which had the engine running parked on the side of Gatton-Laidley Road at Lawes about 3am on April 17.
The court was told on September 7 that police found a cask of wine next to him, and he blew a 0.254.
The 38-year-old was next found asleep in his van with his keys in his pocket in the Dan Murphys car park about 3.20am on July 2, recording a blood alcohol concentration of 0.203.
Then, on July 30, police came across Harper in the driver seat of his van with the keys in the ignition near the corner of John and Herries Sts, Toowoomba, about 4.40pm, and blew 0.235.
Harper pleaded guilty to three counts of being in charge of a vehicle while under the influence of liquor, driving without a licence suspended under S79B, unlicensed driving and contravening a police direction, and he was jailed for three months, suspended for 18 months and placed on an 18 months probation order. He was fined $300 and disqualified from driving for two years, three months.
• Concern for a mate dumped by his girlfriend has left a 25-year-old Toowoomba man with a sizeable fine and driving disqualification.
Blake Ashton Costello and a friend had been drinking on the night of August 28 but his mate had left upset when his girlfriend rang to break off their relationship, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on September 1.
Solicitor Phil Stainton, for Costello, told the court his client was concerned for his friend and had decided to drive to find him.
Low on fuel, Costello pulled into a Bridge St service station just as a police patrol was driving past, the court heard.
Police prosecutor Alistair Windsor told the court the patrolling officers approached the 25-year-old and conducted a random breath test which, when later tested at the police station, returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.157.
Police checks of the car he was driving found it was unregistered and uninsured and when searched at the watch house, Costello was found to have about 1g of cannabis in a clip seal bag, Sergeant Windsor said.
Costello pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and possessing a dangerous drug and was fined Costello $1500, disqualified from driving for nine months and ordered to attend a drug diversion course.
• A prescription for medicinal cannabis didn’t save a driver from copping a charge of drug driving after he was involved in a road rage incident on a Toowoomba street.
Stewart John Callum was towing a trailer when he pulled up in front of another vehicle at the intersection of South and Wests streets about 9am, November 16, last year.
As both cars moved forward the car behind him passed Callum’s who beeped his horn, receiving “the finger” from the other driver, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.
An agitated Callum then sped up to pass the other vehicle but in the process his trailer jack knifed and the vehicles collided in the middle of South St, police prosecutor Chris Willson told the court.
The collision dislodged Callum’s rear tyre and cracked the car’s axle, he said.
The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving a defective vehicle and carrying a load that was unstable and unsafe, drug driving and contravening a police direction and was placed on 12 months probation as well as disqualified from driving for three months.
• A drunk driver, caught with a reading of 0.275 on a Sunday afternoon, was lucky not to kill himself or anyone else before he was stopped by police, a magistrate said.
About 5.45pm on June 26 highway patrol officers in Toowoomba intercepted a vehicle being driven by Ronald James Evenden on Waterbird Street in Rangeville.
The 37-year-old was so intoxicated police could smell alcohol from the vehicle after he was stopped, and he struggled to answer their questions, police prosecutor Anita Page said.
After testing positive roadside Evenden was arrested and taken to Toowoomba police station where he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.275.
Evenden fronted court on August 30 where he pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of liquor. Evenden was fined $1700 and disqualified from driving for six months, with no conviction recorded.
• Fabrizio Francesco Vilardo, 57, of Highfields, was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for three months after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol reading of 0.111 on Clark Road, Highfields, July 2.
• Tashina Lee Coveney was stopped by police about 2.40am on May 10 at Harlaxton on Troy Street.
The 39-year-old mother of three tested positive roadside, and an analysis confirmed the presence of methylamphetamine. Checks revealed she was also unlicensed at the time.
The court disqualified Coveney from holding a driver’s licence for four months.
• A Withcott man, who was pulled over by police after spinning out in the middle of a busy road was unlicensed and returned positive readings to methylamphetamine and cannabis.
Police were called to Toowoomba Connection Road about 6pm on July 30 when they saw a vehicle accelerate harshly into traffic, come to a stop then do a full 360 degree spin before attempting to drive away, with several other motorists forced to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
The court was told on August 30 that police intercepted the driver, Brett James Anderson, a short time later and discovered he had no licence, and he tested positive to a roadside drug test, which later confirmed the presence of methylamphetamine and cannabis.
he 38-year-old pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, driving with a relevant drug present in his saliva and driving without a licence.
Anderson was sentenced to 12 months probation, and disqualified from driving for nine months.
• A few drinks after work ended in disaster for a Toowoomba man who crashed his $50k car into a ditch while nearly four times the legal limit.
Police responded to a single vehicle crash on Highfields Road about 12.20am on June 10, 2022 and found a vehicle had crashed into an embankment, rolling onto its roof.
The driver, Kartik Keshwa Nand, was treated at the scene by Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics before being taken to Toowoomba Hospital with rib injuries.
Officers breath tested the 32-year-old at the scene of the crash, and returned a positive reading, before later tests revealed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.194.
In court on August 29 Nand pleaded guilty to high range drink driving, and he was fined $1300 as well as disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for six months. No conviction was recorded.
• David John Allston, 29, was stopped by police on July 6 driving while disqualified with a relevant drug in his system.
Allston pleaded guilty to a number of other offences and was sentenced to nine months jail with immediate parole eligibility. He was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 15 months.
• Candice Astrid Johnson, 37, was fined $350, disqualified one months, for driving with cannabis and meth in her system on Flinders Road, Peak Crossing, on May 9.
She told the court she was in pain after recent surgery and decided to have a “brownie”.
• James Kelly Linneweber-Couper, fined $450, disqualified one month, conviction not recorded, for driving with meth and cannabis in his system on Bridge St, Cotswold Hills, May 27.
• Harry Sargood, 19, of Boodua, fined $650, disqualified for three months, conviction not recorded, for driving with a breath/alcohol reading of 0.117 on Ruthven Street, North Toowoomba, at 3am, on August 7.
• Sandra Ellen Coleman, 37, was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for one month, conviction not recorded, after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol reading of 0.092 on Kitchener St, Rangeville, about 3.20pm, February 9.
Coleman told police she was driving to pick her two children up from school, the court heard.
• Olivia Beth Jamieson was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month after pleading guilty to driving with cannabis in her system on Toowoomba Connection Road at Redwood on July 8.
• Ian Frank Stanton, 73, was fined $500 and disqualified from driving for one month after pleading guilty to registering a breath/alcohol level of 0.05 after a crash on Greenwattle St, Wilsonton, about 5.30pm, June 3.
• Benjamin David Currie, 46, was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month, conviction not recorded, after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol level of 0.073 on the New England Highway, Geham, on July 29.
• Truck driver Nicholas Liam Megaw, 30, was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for one month, after pleading guilty to driving with meth in his system on the Landsborough Highway, Winton, on March 18.
• Alexandra Dubrovskaya was involved in a car crash in Toowoomba’s CBD on January 22 but left the scene, the court was told in August.
Police later found the 40-year-old at home but she struggled with officers when arrested, dropping to the ground when being carried to the police van.
At the watch house she had refused to provide a sample of breath despite three warnings but eventually two hours later provided a sample of breath which recorded her breath/alcohol reading as 0.196, she said.
Dubrovskaya pleaded guilty to high-range drink-driving, public nuisance, failing to provide a sample of breath and obstructing police, as well as other unrelated matters, and was fined $1200 as well as disqualified from driving for 12 months.
• A drink driver who caused a head-on crash after getting behind the wheel following eight knock-off beers was slammed by a magistrate for his “appalling” decision that saw a person injured in the crash.
Police were called to a two vehicle head-on crash on Toowoomba Athol Road at Westbrook about 10.10pm on June 4, 2022, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on August 17.
After arriving at the scene investigations revealed that a 2018 Ford Ranger ute, being driven by Christian Luke Dujela, had been travelling north when it drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with a car.
The 25-year-old pleaded guilty to high range drink driving, and was fined $2000, referred to SPER, as well as disqualified from driving for nine months. A conviction was recorded.
• A Meringandan man caught drink-driving after being told to get home by his wife has been fined, disqualified from driving and banished to the Gold Coast.
John Conlan Wallace was pulled over by police on Spies Road, Meringandan, about 9.15pm, July 29, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told in August.
Asked by police if he had an emergent reason for driving, Wallace told officers that “his missus wanted him home”, police prosecutor Chris Willson told the court.
He blew a breath/alcohol reading of 0.109, Senior Constable Willson said.
The 23-year-old electrician pleaded guilty to drink-driving and was fined Wallace $650 as well as disqualified from driving for three months. No conviction was recorded.
• A 23-year-old Withcott man with two previous drug driving convictions and two drink-driving offences was warned he risked jail after fronting court on a high-range drink-driving charge.
Cameron Cooper appeared surprised when Magistrate Kay Philipson warned him if he came back on another such offence he would be risking a jail term.
The self represented Cooper pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor on August 15, and was fined $850 as well as disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for seven months.
• A first time try of methamphetamine had more consequences for a 46-year-old Toowoomba man than most first timers.
Adam Ronald McGlashan was pulled over by police on McGregor Street about 9.30am, May 26, and subjected to a random drug test, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on August 12. His saliva test proved positive for methamphetamine, the court heard.
McGlashan appeared in court by phone to plead guilty to drug driving. He was fined $350 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for the mandatory minimum period of one month, with no conviction recorded.
• Jesse Jay Bays, 28, blew a breath-alcohol reading of 0.093 after police attending another matter at his South Toowoomba home about 4pm, June 15.
Bays told police he had driven there and police checks found his licence was disqualified by court order.
He was placed on 12 months probation and disqualified from driving for two years and three months.
• Danny Clyde Stuart was stopped by police on May 24 about 10am where he tested positive roadside to cannabis and methylamphetamine. The 33-year-old was placed on nine months probation and disqualified from driving for seven months.
• Craig Dwayne John Gibbs, 25, concreter of Toowoomba, fined $500 and disqualified from driving for three months after blowing 0.046 when unlicensed and subject to a zero alcohol level on McGregor Street, June 10.
• Samantha Isobell Campbell, 27, was pulled over by police on Alderley St, South Toowoomba, about 1.47am, July 8.
Telling police she had been to a work party, she returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.106.
The self represented Campbell was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for three months.
• Damien John Wilson was stopped by police on May 30, 2022 along Campbell Street, Newtown, about 1.41am, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on August 2.
The court was told Wilson returned a positive roadside sample, and later analysis revealed a positive reading to methylamphetamine.
A conviction was recorded, and Wilson, who was self represented, was disqualified from driving for three months.
• After failing to appear in court and having a warrant issued for his arrest, Ryan Thornberry finally faced the music on August 2 when he appeared in court to plead guilty to high range drink driving.
The court was told police were patrolling near Queens Park about 11.20pm on June 18 when they noticed a black Mitsubishi Lancer veering over the centre lane line of the road.
Police stopped the 24-year-old on Bridge Street, who told police he had only had two drinks with friends in Gatton earlier that night.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Natalie Bugden said after returning a positive roadside reading, Thornberry blew 0.157.
The court was told Thornberry, who was representing himself, was due to appear in court for the charge in July, but had a “stomach bug” and failed to contact the court to explain his absence until a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Magistrate Kay Philipson fined Thornberry $700, and disqualified him from driving for six months. No conviction was recorded.
• Brandan James Hill was stopped by police on June 7, 2022, about 4.10pm on South Street, Toowoomba, the city’s magistrates court was told on August 2.
The 22-year-old fitter of 4x4 accessories tested positive roadside, with analysis of his saliva returning a reading of cannabis.
Hill pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in his saliva and he was convicted, fined $350 and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for three months.
• Michael William Bradley, 50, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle with a relevant drug in his system on August 1.
The court was told Bradley’s road train was pulled over on the Barkly Highway near Mt Isa about 11.44am on June 3, where he tested positive the methylamphetamine.
The night before he had been pulled over, the truck driver of some 30 years had run into an old friend he hadn’t seen for more than 15 years and he used some drug with that friend.
Magistrate Louise Shephard fined Bradley $450. She also disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for the minimum mandatory period of one month.
• Warwick man Ricky Niel Conroy pleaded guilty to two counts of drug driving, as well as two counts of drug possession and two counts of possessing property suspected of having been used in connection to a drug offence, in court on July 28.
The first offence took place on April 15, 2022 when the 41-year-old was stopped by police on Albion Street, Warwick, about 10.55am, and returned a positive roadside sample later determined to contain methylamphetamine.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Willson said the father of two was stopped again by police about a month later, about 11.15am on May 18.
Conroy, who was behind the wheel on Toowoomba Connection Road in Withcott, returned a positive roadside drug sample, later found to contain methylamphetamine, and a search of his vehicle uncovered a small amount of the same drug.
The court was told police executed a search warrant on his home on June 16, which uncovered 11.9g of cannabis, glass pipes and a record of drug transactions.
Conroy handed a 12 month probation order, and disqualified from driving for 12 months. Convictions were recorded.
• A drink driver who was stopped by police on a regional highway returned a blood alcohol reading a magistrate described as being the highest she had ever seen.
About 4.15pm on May 31, 2022, police stopped St George man Timothy James Cameron on the Balonne Highway.
Displaying obvious signs of intoxication, police prosecutor Sergeant Alister Windsor said Cameron returned a positive alcohol reading roadside, but had to be taken to St George Hospital in order for a blood sample to be taken which returned a “very high” reading of 0.341, more than six times the legal limit.
Cameron, who was self-represented in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 27, pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.
Magistrate Kay Philipson said the 62-year-old’s reading was the highest she had seen in her experience on the bench.
Cameron was convicted and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for eight months, as well as fined $400 which was referred to SPER.
• Heidi Lea Etheridge pleaded guilty to driving while a relevant drug was present in her saliva when she appeared in court on July 27.
The 29-year-old was stopped by police on Anzac Ave about 5pm on June 1, 2022 where she tested positive to cannabis in her saliva.
Solicitor Brad Skuse said his client, a mother of three, had engaged Lives Lived Well to address her drug issues.
Etheridge was convicted, disqualified from driving for six months and fined $350.
• Glenn Morgan-Jones pleaded guilty to having a relevant drug present in his saliva after cannabis was detected following a roadside drug test during a police stop on Neil Street on May 28, 2022 about 5.17pm.
Representing himself in court on July 27 Morgan-Jones told the court he used cannabis to sleep at night but was seeking medical treatment for alternatives.
Magistrate Kay Philipson disqualified Morgan-Jones from holding a driver’s licence for one month, and fined him $350.
• Vicki Lee Hixon pleaded guilty to having a relevant drug present in her saliva when she fronted court on July 27.
The court was told Hixon was stopped by police on May 26, 2022 on Fitzpatrick Street about 11.32am, and a roadside drug test revealed she had cannabis in her saliva.
Despite airing her opinion that cannabis should not be illegal “as it grows from the ground” magistrate Kay Philipson convicted her, disqualified her from holding a licence for three months and fined her $350.
• A woman who drunkenly groped her daughter’s teacher, before crashing her car into a fence, had formed the belief that text messages between the pair were more than a feeling, a court has been told.
Trina Renae Bailey faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 26 where she pleaded guilty to common assault and driving a motor vehicle over the middle alcohol limit.
The court was told that in the weeks leading up to June 2, 2022, the 26-year-old had attended the Toowoomba school to pick up her six-year-old daughter smelling of alcohol, and had inappropriately touched her daughter’s teacher despite her numerous requests for Bailey to stop.
Things came to a head when on June 2 when Bailey went to the victim’s classroom and hugged her, before running her hand down the victim’s backside and making a sexual remark to a nearby male teacher.
At 5.50pm that same day, police were called to a unit complex after Bailey crashed into fence.
After speaking to a witness and finding Bailey near her vehicle, she returned a reading of 0.137.
Bailey was convicted and sentenced to 18 months probation, and a nine month licence disqualification.
• Confusion, not contempt, saw a 50-year-old get behind the wheel despite his licence being suspended for mid-range drink driving.
Honofre Rolon Delgado was stopped by police about 11.55pm on April 6, 2022 on the Warrego Highway at Charlton, and after returning a positive reading blew 0.121, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb told Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 18.
Despite being handed an immediate licence suspension, the father of three was stopped by police a few weeks later on April 20.
With the aid of a Portuguese translator, Delgado pleaded guilty to driving while over the middle alcohol limit and driving without a licence.
Born in Brazil, Delgado’s solicitor Nikola Prince said her client moved to Australia in 2006, and became a citizen in 2020.
Describing the offence as “very uncharacteristic”, the court was told Delgado was employed at the Oakey meatworks.
Ms Prince said her client was confused when police immediately suspended his licence for the drink driving offence.
Delgado was fined $900 and disqualified from driving for two years, three months.
• Jessie Ann Leonard was stopped by police on December 3, 2021, where it was discovered she was found with a derivative of cannabis and methamphetamines.
The 35-year-old was charged for drug driving and given a 12-month probation order, and was disqualified from driving for six months.
• Wayne John Weribone was stopped by police on January 19, 2022 where it was discovered he was driving with methylamphetamine in his system, and a search of his car uncovered drug items, including bags and scales.
The 30-year-old then failed to turn up to court, after “disengaging” with his parole requirements fearing he would be sent back to prison.
Those fears became a reality when Weribone faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 18 where he pleaded guilty to 14 offences, including driving while a drug was present, possessing dangerous drugs, breach of bail and failure to appear in court.
Weribone was jailed for four months, with magistrate Clare Kelly declaring 49 days of pre-sentence custody as time served, making him immediately eligible for parole.
Weribone was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for four months.
• Michael Emmaneul Donahoe, who returned a positive reading to cannabis after he was stopped by police on MacKenzie Street, Toowoomba in the early hours of June 2, 2022. The 18-year-old apprentice carpenter faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on July 18 where he pleaded guilty to driving with a relevant drug in his system and fined $350, referred to SPER, as well as disqualified from driving for three months.
• Caleb Austin Windus who was stopped by police on MacKenzie Street about 12.15pm on June 1, 2022. Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on July 18 the 19-year-old returned positive samples for methylamphetamine and cannabis.
Windus pleaded guilty to driving with a relevant drug in his system and was fined $350, referred to SPER, and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for three months.
• Nathan Wayne Davies, 37, was fined $1050 and disqualified from driving for seven months after pleading guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court to driving with a breath/alcohol reading of 0.164 on Hogg St, Toowoomba, 2.20am, June 7.
• Ryan Andrew Ellery, 50, of Toowoomba, was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for nine months, after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol concentration of 0.098 on Nelson St, Toowoomba, December 22, 2021.
• Lance Ochin, 67, of Caloundra, was fined $350, disqualified from driving for one month, conviction not recorded, after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol reading of 0.063 on the Bunya Highway, Murgon, May 6.
• Stacey Anne Gardner was pulled over by police while driving on Boundary St, Westbrook, about 9am, May 25, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on July 5, 2022.
The 28-year-old single mother tested positive for methylamphetamine and checks of her driver’s licence found she had been disqualified from driving by the court for seven months on March 15.
The very next day, Gardner was pulled over while driving on Gostwyk St, Toowoomba, about 11.20am and told police she had been caught driving the day before.
This time Gardner tested positive for cannabis and meth and again she was driving while disqualified.
She pleaded guilty to all four offences and was placed on 12 months probation to include drug testing and disqualified her from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for three years.
• Driving after being suspended for drink-driving put Toowoomba teenager Jayme Turl off the road for the next two years.
The 19-year-old was behind the wheel in Wilsonton about 11.15pm on May 21 when he mounted the gutter before driving into the McDonald’s restaurant carpark, in full view of patrolling police.
Testing positive to alcohol during a roadside breath test, Turl was taken to Toowoomba Police Station where he returned a breath/alcohol reading of 0.129 during a breath analysis test.
The teenager was charged with driving over the middle alcohol limit and as a result his driver’s licence was suspended until he had the matter dealt with by the court.
In Toowoomba Magistrates Court in July Turl was fined $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years however the convictions were not recorded.
• Shifting his car to avoid a potential traffic ticket proved costly for Toowoomba man Luke Benjamin Daley, who was fined $1200 for high-range drink-driving.
The 20-year-old had been drinking with friends at a party in Brisbane on June 5 when someone told him his car was parked in a spot that could see him fined, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on July 15.
Daley pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor and he was fined $1200, as well as disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for eight months.
• A night out with friends ended with a Toowoomba dad crashing a car while three times the limit and being chased by dog squad officers.
James Lee Zejfert faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 30 where he pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.
The court was told Zejfert was located by dog squad officers at 12.41am on May 15 after police had found the bumper belonging to his Mazda sedan near the intersection at Holberton and Ascot streets, with his damaged car found nearby with the engine still running.
The father of two returned a reading of 0.184, with the 31-year-old copping a $900 fine and seven month disqualification. No conviction was recorded.
• Cameron Ross Coleman was found by police on the side of the road in Helidon where he had pulled over to answer his phone.
Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 28 was told he then blew 0.158.
The 31-year-old was fined $1000 and disqualified for six months, with no conviction recorded.
• Levi David Ambrus blew 0.163 after he was stopped by police in Neil Street on May 20, 2022.
In Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 28 the 20-year-old was fined $1100 and disqualified from driving for eight months, with no conviction recorded.
• Following a day of drinking, a Toowoomba man had planned to stay with his brother until he got sick in the bed.
Rather than sleep in his car, Ryan Alexander Duncan made the unfortunate decision to drive home.
Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told police conducting patrols in Drayton saw the 25-year-old pull into the carpark of a 7-Eleven store about 11.30pm on June 7, 2022, and stopped him for a random breath test which returned a reading of 0.177. In court on June 27 Duncan pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor.
Duncan was fined $1200, and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
• A drunk driver who crashed into a motorcyclist while four times over the legal alcohol limit fled from the scene of the incident, with police finding her at her home with empty beer cans in the car.
About 7pm on March 23, 2022, Sarah Elizabeth Yevonn Gilbert was on her way home from Clifford Gardens Shopping Centre, when she collided with a motorcyclist at an intersection on Tor and Hursley roads.
The rider was injured and hospitalised as a result, with the 28-year-old driving off from the crash.
Police found her about 7.35pm, still in the vehicle, and she returned a BAC of 0.226.
In Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 23, 2022, Gilbert pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor and failing to comply with duties of driver involved in a crash. Gilbert was sentenced to 18 months probation, disqualified from driving for 15 months and fined $400. Convictions were recorded.
• A couple of beers in the sheds following a game of footy has seen a Toowoomba man face court for drink driving after he was stopped by police on his way home from Highfields.
Matthew Albury Claude Waites fronted Toowoomba Magistrates Court on June 15 where he pleaded guilty to driving while over the middle alcohol limit, driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and driving without a licence.
The 27-year-old returned a reading of 0.109 after he was stopped for a random breath test in Wilsonton.
Magistrate Kay Philipson disqualified Waites from holding a driver’s licence for two years and six months, and fined him $750, which was referred to SPER. Convictions were recorded.
• Jack Anthony Hardwick, 21, was caught drink-driving twice within three hours.
Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on April 28 after first blowing 0.117 about 1.30am on January 9, he returned a reading of 0.083 after being stopped about two hours later.
The self represented Hardwick pleaded guilty to both drink-driving offences as well as to driving on a suspended driver’s licence, failing to stop at a stop line, and not using lights when driving at night or in hazardous conditions.
Magistrate Howard Osborne fined Hardwick a total $2050 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years and seven months.
• Sam Jordan Geddes, 30, pleaded guilty on April 26, 2022 to two charges of driving while a relevant drug was present in his system.
The court was told that Geddes was stopped by Toowoomba Highway Patrol at 6.30pm on January 21, and again at 6.50am on March 3, 2022. On both occasions roadside tests returned positive readings for cannabis.
Geddes’ solicitor Clancy Robba said his client suffered from ADHD and insomnia, and used cannabis to help him sleep.
Magistrate Graham Lee sentenced Geddes to 12 months probation, and disqualified him from driving for eight months.
• Kristy Michelle Baker appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on April 26 where she pleaded guilty to driving while over the middle alcohol limit.
The court was told that on March 19 police were conducting a traffic patrol at Westbrook when the 45-year-old was stopped while taking her teenage child to work, and returned a positive reading of 0.132.
Baker’s solicitor Jag MacDonald said the offending was “out of character” for the disability support worker and Drayton State School tuck shop volunteer.
Magistrate Graham Lee fined Baker $850 and disqualified her from driving for three months. No conviction was recorded.
• Drill supervisor Blake William Wamsley pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on April 22 to being over the general alcohol limit.
The court was told that about 12am on March 24, 2022 police were patrolling Newtown when they attempted to intercept a vehicle travelling at speed.
Police witnessed Wamsley park outside an address and get out of the vehicle, leaving the driver’s side door open, and run to the front door.
Despite being seen exiting the vehicle Wamsley denied being the driver and was belligerent towards police as they attempted to conduct a breath test, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb said.
The court was told Wamsley blew 0.087, with his solicitor Joe McConnell telling the court his client, a 35-year-old father of three, had four gins while catching up with a friend from about 8.30pm.
Magistrate Roger Stark disqualified Wamsley from holding a driver’s licence for two months, and fined his $750. No conviction was recorded.
• Adib Mohtassim Rahman faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on April 22 where he pleaded guilty to mid-range drink driving.
The court was told about 3.39am on April 2 police attended a single vehicle crash in Harristown on Anzac Ave.
Once they arrived police found an extensively damaged vehicle and a heavily intoxicated Rahman, who had trouble standing and keeping his eyes open, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb said.
Despite claiming to only have had three beers, Rahman returned a reading of 0.129.
Magistrate Roger Stark fined Rahman $400, and was disqualified for four months, with no conviction recorded.
• Hotel manager Calum Wood Gunnis appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on April 21 where he pleaded guilty to driving over the general alcohol limit and breaching a bail condition.
The court was told that about 12.15am on February 16 police intercepted the 22-year-old on Ruthven Street.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Alister Windsor said when taken back to the station Gunnis returned a reading of 0.072.
Magistrate Graham Lee fined Gunnis $1050 and disqualified him from driving for nine months.
• Horse trainer Kim Patricia Dixon was caught drug driving after a single-vehicle crash on December 4, 2021, and again on 13 February 2022. On both occasions Dixon returned positive readings to methylamphetamine.
The 29-year-old faced court on April 19 where she pleaded guilty to the two charges.
For the two drug driving offences, and a series of unrelated drug offences, magistrate Howard Osborne fined Dixon a total of $2000, disqualified from driving for four months and placed her on 12 months probation.
• Ndogobessengar Tatamngar, also known as “Jimmy”, was pulled over by the police patrol on Ramsay St, South Toowoomba, about 11.30pm, January 4, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on April 13.
He told police he had been drinking between 6pm and 7pm and had only one and a half glasses of wine, police prosecutor Bettina Trenear told the court.
Two days later on January 6, a police patrol had come across “Jimmy” sitting in the driver’s seat of the same vehicle parked on Ramsay St about 10am.
On both occasions Jimmy blew an alcohol reading of 0.188, and in court he pleaded guilty to two charges of high range drink driving.
Magistrate Kay Ryan fined Jimmy a total $2000 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months on each under the influence offence.
• Farmer Stewart Osmond Free, 52, was pulled over while riding a motorcycle on Taylor St, Toowoomba, about 11.45am, January 18, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on April 13.
A roadside drug test returned a positive result and further analysis found Free had methamphetamine and cannabis in his system, police prosecutor Acting Sergeant Chris Willson told the court.
Free pleaded guilty to driving with a relevant drug in his blood or saliva while on a probationary licence.
Magistrate Kay Philipson warned Free the penalties for such offending would only increase if he didn’t stop offending and fined him $750 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for seven months.
• A couple of nips of whiskey before driving proved a mistake for 81-year-old Toowoomba woman Maureen Eugenie Grayson who recorded a blood/alcohol reading of 0.188, almost four times the legal limit.
Noting her otherwise good character but reminding her that she was “extremely lucky” that she hadn’t been involved in an accident, Magistrate Kay Philipson ordered no conviction be recorded and fined Grayson $500 and disqualified her from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months.
• Father-of-two Stephen David William O’Sullivan vowed to turn his life around after pleading guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to driving without due care and attention, driving while disqualified by court order, driving an unregistered and uninsured car, and drug driving.
The 42-year-old was reported to police by a witness who said he’d been doing burnouts and speeding on the streets of Wilsonton about 6.08pm, July 24, 2021.
He had driven into Perina St at speed but lost control of the car which mounted the footpath and crashed into the front yard of a house. A blood sample returned a positive reading for methylamphetamine.
Noting he had no criminal history, Magistrate Graham Lee fined O’Sullivan a total $1800 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years and three months.
• Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on April 7 that police in the Safe Night Out precinct had spotted Alec Matthew Curtis’s car near the corner of Neil and Margaret Sts causing a traffic hazard about 3.30am, March 20.
When his car wasn’t moving, police moved in to find the 27-year-old slumped over his steering wheel and what appeared to be vomit on his shirt, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.
He told police he had drunk an unknown quantity of beers since 6pm the previous evening, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb told the court.
The self represented Curtis pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor, and he was fined $1800, while also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for nine months.
• Toowoomba man Tuombe Kalisa “borrowed” a friend’s car, only to crash it into a power pole and go on to blow more than three times the legal limit.
On April 7 the 20-year-old faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court where he pleaded guilty to high range drink driving and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
The court was told Kalisa had been at the friend’s place for a party on the night of July 1, 2021, but told others he was going home to change clothes in the early hours of the morning.
The woman party host told him to sleep on the couch and she would drive him home in the morning and she had gone to bed.
However, Kalisa had taken her car, without her permission, and driven to his home to change clothes but on the way back crashed into a power pole on Taylor St.
Police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb told the court police arrived at the crash scene about 4.40am to find the 20-year-old smelling of liquor and complaining of chest pains. A sample of blood was taken which showed Kalisa at the time had a blood/alcohol content of 0.166.
• Toowoomba man Matthew David Doyle, 51, was seen by a police patrol in the driver’s seat of a car parked at the Mt Lofty Lookout at 2.20pm, January 2, the court heard.
He admitted to driving from his North St home and that the small amount of cannabis he had and the pipe for smoking it were his, police prosecutor Tim Hutton told the court.
Sgt Hutton said due to Doyle’s demeanour he was taken to Toowoomba Hospital where a sample of blood was taken and though no certificate had yet been forwarded, the 51-year-old pleaded guilty to drug driving.
Doyle was also driving unlicensed, the court heard.
Magistrate Graham Lee fined Doyle a total $1700 and disqualified him from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for seven months.
• After his ride home from the pub fell through, a Toowoomba sparky decided that rather than risk having his unsecured tools pinched, he would drive home drunk.
That fateful decision has resulted in Todd Murray Sweedman facing court for mid-range drink driving, and be without his licence for six months.
The court was told in March 2022 the 22-year-old self-employed electrician stopped at a pub after work on Friday, 21 January 2022, and while he had made arrangements for a lift home, they fell through.
About 10.17pm officers from Toowoomba Highway Patrol intercepted Sweedman on Drayton Connection Road for a random breath test, which returned a positive reading, and after he was arrested and taken back to Toowoomba Police Station Sweedman returned a reading of 0.142.
Sweedman pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while over the middle alcohol limit. He was fined $850 and disqualified him from driving for six months. A conviction was recorded.
• David Lawrence Franklin, 37, was fined $800, disqualified for seven months after pleading guilty to driving with a breath/alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.136 on Richmond Drive, Wilsonton, on March 11.
• Tony Andrew Collins, 55, was fined $900, disqualified eight months, after pleading guilty to driving with cannabis in his system while on a probationary licence on Ruthven St, February 23.
• Alice Margaret Hartill, 33, fined $500, disqualified two months, BAC 0.082, McGregor St, March 2.
• Katelyn Maree Flack, 20, fined $350, disqualified one month, driving with cannabis in system, Rowbotham St, February 4.
• Louisa Jane Sommerfield, 20, fined $250, disqualified three months, driving with cannabis in system, Hume St, February 12.
• Taiden John Mann, 24, fined $350, disqualified one month, driving with cannabis in system, West St, February 11.
• Julian David Scamp, 19, was fined $350 and disqualified from driving for three months for driving with cannabis in his system, 1pm, Drayton-Wellcamp Road, Wellcamp, January 30.
• Chris Toito’ona who took a drive to the “servo for smokes” which ended in a trip to the court after he blew a breath/alcohol reading almost four times the legal limit.
The 37-year-old blew a breath/alcohol reading of 0.189 after being pulled over by police on Stenner St about 3.30am, February 19, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.
He pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of liquor and was fined $1000 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for nine months.
• Ronald Andrew Lokhorst learnt his lesson after blowing a breath/alcohol reading of 0.165 when pulled over on Joseph St, Toowoomba City, about 5.50pm, February 4.
“Being without a licence made me think how stupid I was and I’ll never drink drive again,” he told Toowoomba Magistrates Court.
Lokhorst was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for six months.
• Despite blowing a breath/alcohol reading of 0.216, Toowoomba man Michael Taylor didn’t think he’d be over the limit, he told the same court.
“I didn’t think I was over,” he said.
“I had a big night out the night before and hadn’t had anything to eat that day.”
Taylor was pulled over while driving on West St, Toowoomba, about 4.57pm, January 18.
He pleaded guilty and was fined $1500 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
• David Robert Atkinson, 26, of Cambooya, was fined $750 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months after pleading guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to driving with a breath/alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.147 on Dodd St, Cambooya, 11.30pm, January 26.
• Vincent Bailey Thompson, 19, of Toowoomba, fined $400, disqualified one month, after pleading guilty to driving with cannabis in his system on Router St, Wilsonton, 9.40pm, February 4.
• Addison Jewlis Terry-Morris, 18, fined $400, disqualified one month, for driving with meth in her system while driving on Tor St, 10.55pm, February 4.
• Shaun David Durrant, 232, fined $350, disqualified one month, BAC 0.057, Anzac Avenue, 9.34pm, January 29.
• Thomas John Landsborough, 33, fined $350, disqualified one month, BAC 0.066, 9am, March 12.
• Judianne Rebecca Purcell, 33, fined $400, disqualified six months, for driving with meth in her system on West St, 11pm, February 4.
• Tambrey Lee Morris, 30, fined $400, disqualified one month, for driving with meth in her system on Hermitage Road, Gowrie Junction, 12.45pm, November 3.
• Concreter Luke Sullivan was fined a total $1250 and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years and three months after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified and with meth in his system on Highfields Road, Highfields, 10.30am, January 31.
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Originally published as Toowoomba court: Drink/drug drivers across the Darling Downs busted
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