Mushroom Valley: Monkland man arrested in burning cane field

A drug trafficking and animal abuse suspect has been tackled in a burning cane field during a police operation that netted 167 charges near a Queensland music festival.

Police targeting drivers near a psychedelic music festival have laid 167 charges across the three day event, including drug trafficking and animal abuse following the dramatic chase of a 34-year-old through a burning cane field.

Mushroom Valley was held on a private campground in Calen — between Mackay and Airlie Beach — from September 19-22, with police set up nearby on the Bruce Highway.

At 11.40am on September 20 smoke started billowing up from a nearby cane field, officers rushed there, and ended up in a foot chase with a Monkland man, 34.

Police made their way towards the Monkland man after seeing this smoke, captured on video. Picture: Queensland Police Service

Police claim they saw him exit the burning paddock, before turning back and running towards it with his dog.

Video of his arrest shows him being caught and tackled by police, who allege he had a large quantity of drugs and scheduled substances in his possession.

Main Stage of a previous Mushroom Valley Festival

Inspector Glenn Cameron said police believe he started the fire which he led them on a chase through, and was an attendee of the festival.

“Those cane fields are someone’s livelihood so that has a financial impact on them,” he said.

“The risks of the fire spreading and impacting further people poses a significant risk not just to that local area, but the wider community.”

The Mushroom Valley music festival is marked in red, Bruce Highway is in yellow. Picture: Google Maps

Inspector Cameron said police weren’t targeting the festival specifically, but “road safety”.

“Obviously any time we have a large festival in the area we put a number of operations in place to ensure the safety of not only the festival goers, but also members of the public in and around that area.

“We really want to make sure that not only the festival goers but other motorists in that area are driving to conditions, driving safely, and making it safe for everyone to transverse that area.”

The Monkland man was charged with trafficking meth, drug possession, setting fire to vegetation, animal cruelty, being in possession of a knife in a public place, and offence to buy or possess S4 or S8 medicines or hazardous poisons.

A Monkland man, 34, was chased through a burning cane field and tackled by police. He was later charged with drug trafficking, arson, animal abuse, drug possession, and being in possession of a knife in a public place. Picture: Queensland Police Service

He has been remanded in custody and is due to reappear before Proserpine Magistrates Court on 10 November.

Mushroom Valley organisers describe it as a “psychedelic wonderland” for people people from all walks of life can come together to dance, learn and create.
Is is not clear how many of the people charged were attending the festival.

From 3,516 roadside breath tests and 174 roadside drug tests, 47 motorists returned a positive result, a rate of 1.2 per cent.

Originally published as Mushroom Valley: Monkland man arrested in burning cane field