Jacinta Maree Pearson in Rockhampton court for assaulting police officer

A mother of four took a clip seal bag out of her genitalia and put it into her mouth in a desperate attempt to hide it from police. What she did next got her in even more trouble.

Jacinta Maree Pearson.

A convicted drug trafficker and mother of four bit a police officer while they were trying to remove a clip seal bag from her mouth, after she moved it there from her genitalia during a strip search.

Rockhampton Magistrates Court heard Jacinta Maree Pearson, 39, was arrested in Rockhampton on June 10, 2023 in relation to other matters and transported to the watch-house for an underclothes search.

Police prosecutor Claudia Neill-Ballantine said police suspected Pearson was concealing an illicit substance in her underclothing.

Ms Neill-Ballantine said during the search Pearson was told to remove her hands from her genitalia, which she refused to do.

She said Pearson removed a clip seal bag from her genital region and placed the contents in her mouth.

“The defendant was told to spit out the clip seal bag or she would be obstructing police,” she said.

“The defendant refused to do so.

“A constable has attempted to remove the clip seal bag from the defendant’s mouth.

“The defendant has assaulted her by biting her finger.”

She said the police officer immediately felt pain and saw teeth marks on her finger.

Ms Neill-Ballantine said police searched a unit Pearson was in Rockhampton on October 6, 2023 and that officers found two clip seal bags containing marijuana and one clip seal bag containing methamphetamine, as well as scales, bong and a grinder.

The court heard Pearson evaded police on the Bruce Highway at Port Curtis on June 30, 2023.

Ms Neill-Ballantine said Pearson made a statutory declaration that she was not the driver on October 16, 2023.

Pearson, who has a seven-page criminal record, was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Rockhampton on August 23 for possessing 3.639g of pure meth.

She had previously been sentenced in the Supreme Court in May 2023 for trafficking methamphetamines and marijuana between December 25, 2021, and April 5, 2022.

She received a three-year prison term with 260 days presentence custody declared as time already served and was released immediately on parole.

Her sentence was reopened in April 2024 and her three years was increased to four years, giving her a parole eligibility date of April 12, 2024.

Justice Graeme Crow sentenced Pearson on August 23 to six months prison, cumulative on top of the four year trafficking term, with parole eligibility from September 3, 2024.

The court heard Pearson had spent 283 days in custody.

Defence lawyer Jess King submitted her client, who was already serving a 4.5 year prison sentence, should be sentenced in a way that did not affect her parole eligibility date.

Ms King said there were family difficulties upon her client’s release, including not seeing her children.

“She attributes the difficulties... to spiralling into drug use and using drugs to cope… which ultimately have led her to the offences before the court today,” she said.

Pearson pleaded guilty on August 29 to two counts of possessing dangerous drugs, and one count each of obstructing a police officer, seriously assaulting a police officer by biting, possessing utensils or pipes that had been used, evading police and making a false statement in statutory declaration

Magistrate Cameron Press sentenced Pearson to six months prison, declared 283 days of presentence custody as time served and ordered she be eligible for parole from September 3, 2024.

Pearson was disqualified from driving for two years.

She also received a 12 month good behaviour bond with a $500 recognisance.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Jacinta Maree Pearson in Rockhampton court for assaulting police officer