Jason Grogan faces High Range drink driving, knife and threat charges

High range, speeding, carrying a knife in public and threatening to kill a Service NSW officer landed this Coffs Harbour man in court.

Jason Mark Grogan appeared in Coffs Harbour Local Court on Monday, June 6, charged with several offences including using a carriage service to threaten to kill an officer from Service NSW on March 23 last year.

The 51-year-old was also facing charges of high range drink driving and carrying a knife in a public place.

The court heard Grogan has spent time in and out of custody and has struggled with his mental health for many years.

His lawyer told the court he is engaging with a psychologist regularly and is making a “concerted effort” to turn his life around.

Magistrate Ian Rodgers accepted that Grogan has experienced “significant struggles” and has been “engaging relatively well” with various support services to reduce his risk of offending.

Mr Rodgers ordered that no further action be taken against Grogan in relation to the charge of ‘use carriage service to threaten to kill’.

In relation to the high range drink driving charge, the court heard that Grogan was detected driving erratically – speeding up and then slowing down along the Pacific Highway at Bonville on December 24 last year.

Mr Rodgers told the court the high range drink driving matter was the most serious matter Grogan was facing, and that he was detected travelling at around 150km per hour in a 110 zone and passing other drivers.

When he was pulled over by police be blew 0.166.

For the drive with high range PCA – first offence - he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of nine months starting on June 6. The term of imprisonment is to be served by way of intensive correction in the community.

He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service work.

Grogan was suspended from driving for nine months to be followed by a 24-month interlock period.

On February 2 this year Grogan was detected carrying a knife in a public place. The court heard it was a kitchen knife in the waistband of his pants.

In relation to the charge of custody of knife in public place – first offence - he was convicted and sentenced to a community correction order for a period of 12 months to start on June 6.