Meth-affected Gympie dad Ronald Benjamin Engle nearly caused serious crash at Ipswich

Four days after he took another man’s car, police observed Engle drive the vehicle through a red light at speed, narrowly missing another vehicle before speeding off, failing to take a corner and crashing into a light pole.

A meth-affected Gympie dad narrowly avoided causing a serious accident before crashing into a light pole and attempting to run away later admitted to police he “shouldn’t have been driving”.

A meth-affected Gympie dad narrowly avoided causing a serious accident before crashing into a light pole and attempting to run away later admitted to police he “shouldn’t have been driving”.

Ronald Benjamin Engle, 37, appeared in the Gympie Magistrates Court on Tuesday (August 3) accused of drug-related offences at Bellbird Park, a suburb in Ipswich, in February.

The court heard Engle took another man’s vehicle and trailer without permission on February 22, later abandoning the trailer and driving the vehicle around by itself.

Four days later, police observed Engle drive the vehicle through a red light at speed, narrowly missing another vehicle before speeding off, failing to take a corner and crashing into a light pole.

Engle tried to run away but a police dog located him, the court heard.

Engle later told police he shouldn’t have been driving because he had used ice earlier that evening.

Magistrate Chris Callaghan rejected submissions that Engle had been driving the car back to its owner’s place at the time of the offending, because he had not bothered to collect the trailer beforehand.

Mr Callaghan noted Engle’s “limited’ criminal history but observed he had been caught driving with a relevant drug in his saliva in May 2017, January 2020 and March of this year.

Engle pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a motor vehicle while adversely affected by an intoxicating substance, unlawfully using a motor vehicle, possessing meth and possessing a pipe used to smoke meth.

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Mr Callaghan gave Engle 15 months in jail as a head sentence, but he was released immediately on parole.

Engle was also ordered to pay more than $4000 to the RACQ in vehicle damages, and banned from driving for two years.

Originally published as Meth-affected Gympie dad Ronald Benjamin Engle nearly caused serious crash at Ipswich