Joshua Juan Dodd jailed over drugs, crashes, weapons

A petty criminal and drug addict who fled the scene of multiple car crashes has been told by a magistrate he was lucky he didn’t kill anybody.

Joshua Juan Dodd, also known as Joshua Howe, pictured in 2019. Picture: Facebook

A petty criminal and drug addict who fled the scene of multiple car crashes has been told by a magistrate he was lucky he didn’t kill anybody.

Joshua Juan Dodd, who also goes by Joshua Howe, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court via videolink on Monday, after pleading guilty to 33 offences earlier this month.

Magistrate Simon Guthrie said the offending was “simply unacceptable” as he jailed Dodd

for 23 months – minus the 133 days he’s already spent in custody.

Mr Guthrie highlighted the ongoing impacts Dodd’s actions had on his victims, emotionally, socially, financially and medically.

Dodd fled the scene of two head-on collisions he caused in as many months, one on Bannockburn-Shelford Rd on February 20 this year, and another – this time in a stolen car – on Gnarwarre Rd on March 26.

Mr Guthrie said it was by “luck and good fortune” that nobody was killed.

When Dodd was arrested in April, police found cannabis stuffed down the side of a couch, with more in a bedside dresser, along with ice.

A bottle of 1,4 butanediol was found in a backpack on a hallway floor, along with ecstasy pills, more ice and stolen ID cards in Dodd’s wallet.

Just months before the two crashes, Dodd was nabbed speeding on Castle-Carey Rd in Gnotuk. When he was pulled over he did not produce a licence or permit and gave his brother’s details.

Court documents reveal that in January, 2021, Dodd punched the inside of the passenger-side windscreen of a car during an argument, smashing it.

When asked why, Dodd told police it was “because I’m a piece of s--t”.

Several months later, Dodd was camping in a mate’s backyard in Anglesea when the property was raided by police.

Police searched a bag Dodd said was his and found a resealable bag of MDMA.

In June 2021, Dodd lost control of the vehicle he was driving and crashed into a tree on Bushby Rd in Barongarook, south of Colac.

A neighbour rushed to help, as did an off-duty police officer who happened to be driving by in a police car.

Dodd fled as soon as he saw the police markings, leaving behind a bag with 59 shotgun rounds in it.

Dodd was found just over a month later in a shed in Colac, with electronic pocket scales, $6970 in cash, ice pipes and a deal bag containing ice in his possession.

He told police the ice was for personal use and that he got the money by selling two cars for cash in the preceding week.

He told police he hadn’t advertised the cars, but had sold them by having a for sale sign and “word of mouth”.

Dodd was convicted, fined $2750 plus costs and will be placed on an 18-month community corrections order (CCO) upon his release from jail.

He was disqualified from driving for two years. 

Originally published as Joshua Juan Dodd jailed over drugs, crashes, weapons