Shawn McKinnon: twice on ice drugged-up Hampton Park truckie cops spray
Drugs, unsecure loads, unregistered, no seatbelt. This Hampton Park truckie was a menace on roads across the state — and it could have been worse.
South East
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A magistrate has blasted a veteran truckie who was nabbed twice driving with ice in his system, saying it was extremely lucky he didn’t cause “carnage” on the roads.
Shawn Edward McKinnon has been a heavy goods vehicle driver for more than 25 years, but the wheels fell off for him after he began dabbling with methamphetamine.
The 49-year-old from Hampton Park pleaded guilty to a raft of traffic charges at the online Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Friday
He had also been caught driving an unregistered truck, flouting log book rules, not wearing a seatbelt and having unrestrained loads in his trailer.
The court heard McKinnon was pulled over in his unregistered prime mover in January 2017 in Montrose, testing positive for ice.
And in March 2017 he was intercepted in a tray truck in Wantirna South with meth in his system.
In January 2018 his truck was stopped on the Hume Freeway in Wangaratta because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
Cops discovered he had an unsecured load, there were entry errors in his log book and he had been driving for too long.
His defence lawyer said he lost his father in 2016, became homeless and was sleeping in his truck when he began experimenting with ice on weekends.
She said these crimes were a while ago, he was now free of drugs, had stable accommodation and a fiancee to support him.
She said McKinnon knew he would be losing his job due to the mandatory disqualification and would have to stump up significant funds to apply to get his licences back.
Magistrate Andrew Halse said he should have been aware of the “significant flow-on consequences” of trucking while high on ice.
“He put the community at risk by taking drugs and driving,” Mr Halse said.
“The dangers are abundantly clear.
“The carnage that can be caused as a result of drivers using methamphetamine in a heavy vehicle presents a great danger.”
McKinnon was convicted and fined $1000, and his car and truck licences were cancelled and disqualified for 14 months.
