Maryborough’s Matthew Zane Balke pleaded guilty to possessing dangerous drugs
A young drug addict who was tasered while running from police after being caught with a large amount of meth amid a five-week spree has been sentenced in court.
Police & Courts
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A young drug addict has been told to turn his life around for the sake of his son after he was busted by police with a large amount of meth during a five-week crime spree.
Matthew Zane Balke, 25, pleaded guilty to possessing a dangerous drug, drink driving, disqualified driving, an evasion offence, receiving tainted property, failing to leave particulars after a crash, wilful damage, possessing a knife in a public place, stealing, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and other offences when he faced Maryborough Supreme Court this week.
Crown prosecutor Christopher Cook said Balke’s crime spree had taken place over about five weeks.
He said the fresh offences had been committed while Balke was on suspended sentences.
Part of the offending Balke was sentenced for was an incident involving co-accused Harley Wayne Bridgett.
Bridgett pleaded guilty to wilful damage, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and arson when he faced Hervey Bay District Court this month.
According to court documents, Bridgett and Balke broke into the police impound yard in Pialba on April 20.
First the two tried to cut through the fence with bolt cutters, the documents read.
When that failed, they used the black Honda SUV they were driving to reverse through the gate, causing it to break from its hinges and crash to the ground.
The two then entered the yard, with Balke getting into the driver’s seat of a blue ute and Bridgett getting into the passenger’s seat, the documents read.
The two then left the yard, but their actions were recorded on CCTV, the documents read.
The two then drove a short distance to Bay City Marine.
Bridgett opened the door of the ute and was seen on CCTV to place something on the dashboard.
The ute was then engulfed in fire.
Bridgett was given a head sentence of three years in prison, to be suspended after six months with an operational period of three years.
Convictions were recorded.
Mr Cook said Balke had been involved in other separate incidents over the five-week period earlier this year.
That included an incident in which he had received stolen number plates and police had attempted to intercept him, but he drove away.
He had been driving unlicensed at the time, Mr Cook said.
The day following that, Balke was involved in a crash but left the scene, he said.
He then stole another vehicle nearby and stole mobile phone accessories from a service station and committed a petrol drive-off.
Then on April 13, Balke crashed a motorbike while under the influence of meth.
Again, he was driving unlicensed, Mr Cook said.
On another occasion, Balke had been stopped by police.
He was still unlicensed and was found with a “substantial” amount of meth.
In Balke’s defence, the court heard he had an ongoing struggle with drug addiction.
He had a young son he shared with Dorinda Louise Allsworth, who was sentenced for drug trafficking and supplying drugs on Tuesday.
She was sentenced to three years in prison with immediate release on parole.
Balke was supported in court by his parents, who had bought a home in Toowoomba so he could relocate from Maryborough and get away from the negative influences on his life.
Justice Peter Applegarth said that was “commendable”.
“They’re changing for him, he needs to change for them,” he said.
In the past Balke had demonstrated he could work, the court heard, and he had been a good employee when he was “off the drugs”.
The court heard he now had a son and had that motivation to keep him out of trouble.
Moving away from Maryborough was “one of the key things” that needed to happen for Balke to stay away from drugs, the court heard.
Justice Applegarth said the offences related to a “diversity of unlawfulness” committed over a period of time in early 2022.
The most serious offence was his possession of meth on April 28, he said.
He said Balke had tried to run and had been tasered by the officers.
Justice Applegarth said the reason Balke ran was because of the large amount of meth in the car.
“There was keys to different cars, there was money, a little over $2000, a foldable knife, two boxes of ammunition,” he said.
“Why you’d want those, I don’t know.”
Justice Applegarth said he understood Balke had been addicted to drugs, but the drugs in his possession weren’t only for personal use.
“They were predominantly for a commercial purpose,” he said.
“Drugs have ruined your still relatively young live.”
Justice Applegarth said as sorry as he felt for how drugs had impacted Balke’s life, he also felt sorry for Maryborough and surrounds, because if the drugs hadn’t been seized by police, they would have gone into the community and destroyed other lives.
He said Balke needed to think about becoming a productive member of the community.
Balke should “thank his lucky stars” that he had his family standing behind him, Justice Applegarth said.
He encouraged Balke to think about his young son.
“To my mind, your son is the most important person in this case,” he said.
“His future, fate is very much tied up in your future and whether you break the cycle.”
Balke was given a head sentence of four and a half years in prison for the possession of meth.
His driver’s licence was disqualified for four years.
A parole eligibility date was set for April 27, 2024.
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