Shaun Albert Weldon sentenced at Taree for traffic, stolen goods and drugs

A Taree teen who chucked a wheelie for onlookers, crashed into a police officer and was later found to have stolen car keys, ammunition and drugs in his bedroom has learnt his fate.

Taree courthouse

A Taree teen who chucked a wheelie on an unregistered motorbike for onlookers and drove straight at police patrolling on pushbikes was later found to have stolen car keys, ammunition and drugs in his bedroom.

At Taree Local Court on June 21 he escaped conviction on all offences and has been placed on conditional release orders – the longest being for two years.

Looked cops in the eye then turned and crashed into them

Shaun Albert Donald Weldon was just 17 when police officers saw him do a wheelie for onlookers for about 50m in an easterly direction along Bushland Dr at Taree.

Officers had been out patrolling the Bushland and Wyanna Dr areas and the associated footpaths on pushbikes on the evening of January 6 when they saw Weldon who wasn’t wearing a helmet and was riding an unregistered motorbike.

He passed police on the walkway, looked at them and then did a U-turn – riding into the pedestrian walkway where the police were, crashing into the leg of one of the officers, according to documents tendered to court.

He became aggressive and argumentative, acknowledging he had performed the wheelie at the request of onlookers, police facts stated.

Shaun Weldon leaves Taree court.

“The accused was aware of police in the walkway and had a member of the public walked out from the walkway the accused would have collided with them,” police facts state.

Numerous young children were riding bicycles in the area, the facts stated.

He pleaded guilty to driving recklessly or furiously at a dangerous speed, using an unregistered motor vehicle, using an uninsured vehicle and using a motor vehicle without paying the vehicle’s tax.

He also pleaded guilty to riding the motorbike without a helmet.

For furious and reckless driving he was found guilty and placed on a conditional release order without conviction for two years.

The other four charges were dismissed without conviction.

Stolen keys, ammunition and drugs in bedroom

On March 29 this year, just a few weeks after Weldon’s 18th birthday, police officers obtained a search warrant for the Taree home where he lives with his parents and siblings.

In a bedside chest of drawers in his room they found sets of keys to cars suspected of being stolen in the Taree area including keys for an Audi, a Holden HSV and a Toyota Landcruiser.

Officers also found .22 calibre hornet live ammunition in a sock.

According to police documents tendered to court officers also found two large plastic bags with cannabis inside - one with 446.45g and the other with 13.76g.

Weldon pleaded guilty to having suspected stolen goods in custody, possessing ammunition without holding a licence or permit and prohibited drug possession.

For the goods in custody and ammunition charges and prohibited drug possession he was sentenced for a conditional release order without conviction for two years.

A charge of prohibited drug supply was withdrawn.