Cassandra Jennings-Merrick: Bomaderry woman drove with meth in system, bullets in car
A young south coast woman has been busted storing a jar of ammunition in her boyfriend’s car, just days after she was arrested for driving without a licence and with meth in her system, a court has heard.
The South Coast News
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A young south coast woman has been busted storing a jar of ammunition in her boyfriend’s car, just days after she was arrested for driving without a licence and with meth in her system, a court has heard.
The incidents saw Cassandra Jennings-Merrick, 24, in Nowra Local Court on Tuesday, where she pleaded guilty to charges of possessing ammunition without a permit, driving with illicit drug present in blood and driving while never licenced.
The court heard the Bomaderry woman was previously convicted and fined $750 for the driving while never licenced on February 20 this year at the same court.
Documents tendered to the court reveal Jennings-Merrick’s offending began on the morning of December 22, last year, when driving a Subaru Forester along Meroo Rd, outside Nowra.
Jennings-Merrick was pulled over by police officers for a random breath test and while it returned a negative result, an oral fluid test returned a positive result for meth.
It was also during this interaction when the 24-year-old informed police she did not have a licence and had never applied for one.
Jennings-Merrick was arrested and taken to the Nowra police station, where she was charged.
However, only six days later on December 28, Jennings-Merrick was called to the Nowra police station again, this time to see her boyfriend, Tobee Bell, after police found a jar of air pellet bullets in his car during a search.
Agreed facts reveal the search occurred as Bell was subject to a firearm prohibition order.
However, upon arriving at the police station, Jennings-Merrick informed the officer’s the jar of bullets belong to her – not her boyfriend.
The Bomaderry woman was subjected to an interview, where she conceded she purchased the bullets recently and left them in her boyfriend’s car.
She was charged once more and given a court attendance notice.
In court on Tuesday, Jennings-Merick’s lawyer said he wanted a sentencing assessment report before his client was sentenced.
The suggestion was not opposed by Magistrate Lisa Viney who said, given Jennings-Merick’s history, that a report was a “good idea”.
Jennings-Merrick will return to Nowra Local Court on June 25 for sentencing.
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