Warwick court: Five Southern Downs drink or drug drivers face sentenced

From being busted driving double the limit to a driver pulled over with a shocking ‘cocktail of drugs’ in his system here are some of our region’s most recent drink or drug drivers to face court.

From a drug driver who has found to have traces of cannabis in his system to a dad on our roads with a “cocktail of drugs” in his system after a long weekend, police are always patrolling our roads on the hunt for those who would put other road users in danger.

These are five drink or drug drivers who faced Warwick Magistrates Court:

DRUG DRIVING

Cameron Willcox

Cameron Willcox, 38, was busted with a "cocktail of drugs" after a music festival on the Southern Downs in April 2024. (Photo: supplied)

NSW dad of four Cameron Willcox came undone, like many others, in the aftermath of the Rabbits Eat Lettuce festival earlier this year.

The concreter and owner of a civil engineering business was “unable to drink due to kidney disease, but doesn’t regularly use drugs” his defence lawyer Sarah Campbell said.

This didn’t stop police discovering a “cocktail of drugs” in the man’s system when he was busted on Keogh Rd at Elbow Valley on the morning of April 1 of this year.

After being intercepted by police, Willcox had traces of MDMA, cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine in his saliva, prosecutor Sarah Bartholomew said.

“He does not partake regularly but does have a medical marijuana prescription,” Ms Campbell said of the 38-year-old.

Willcox pleaded guilty on July 22, 2024 to one charge of drug driving.

Magistrate Janice Crawford acknowledged the man’s health issues, his limited traffic history and the fact he “told police he had used some drugs some time before”.

Willcox was slapped with a $500 fine and taken off the roads for one month.

Convictions were recorded.

Shaun Jeremy Kassulke

A 44-year-old mechanic has been told to “tread carefully” by the magistrate after he was busted with cannabis in his system.

Shaun Jeremy Kassulke, 44, was busted on the afternoon of March 24 where he told police he had smoked cannabis, shortly before officers discovered traces in his saliva, Ms Bartholomew said.

The diesel mechanic pleaded guilty on July 22 to one charge of driving with a relevant drug in his system.

Ms Crawford told the man to “tread carefully” and “stay careful” as prison sentences could be ordered for continuous offending.

Kassulke was fined $500 and taken off the roads for four months.

Convictions were recorded.

Caleb Samuel Taylor

Caleb Samuel Taylor faced court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with drugs in his system.

The man was nabbed on Percy St on the morning of June 9, where police found traces of cannabis in his saliva.

He told the magistrate “all he does is work” and he was caught by police “on the day after his grandmother’s funeral, and wasn’t in the right headspace.”

“I use marijuana for anxiety and depression,” Taylor said.

The man was sentenced to a driving ban of three months and given a $350 fine. Convictions were recorded.

Jack Ryan Straney

Jack Ryan Straney was busted after a medical marijuana mishap behind the wheel landed him in court (Photo: file)

A father of three’s medical mishap couldn’t excuse his offending after being busted driving while positive for drugs.

Jack Ryan Straney pleaded guilty to one charge of driving while drugs in his system after being intercepted by police on May 31.

Straney, after doing a saliva test, was found positive for cannabis, police said.

“He told police he had 3ml of medicinal cannabis the previous evening and told police he knew it was illegal to drive,” police prosecutor Ms Bartholomew said.

The dad said he had just got out of jail on unrelated offending “a bit ago” and said that his doctors “didn’t want to change up medication”.

“I accept it is medicinal cannabis, but there is no type of cannabis that is approved for driving, it doesn’t matter if it’s lawfully prescribed,” magistrate Ms Crawford said.

Straney was fined $150 and suspended from driving for one month with convictions recorded.

DRINK DRIVING

Michelle Lee Nicholson

A woman’s boozy afternoon was enough to land her in front of the magistrate.

Michelle Lee Nicholson pleaded guilty to driving over the middle alcohol limit, but not high limit on July 22.

Police saw her driving at a “high speed” on July 5, before she was pulled over on Oxenham St shortly before 9pm, prosecutor Bartholomew said.

“She told police she had been drinking since 2pm and blew a reading of 0.100 BAC,” the officer said.

Nicholson said she had “nothing to say” before being slapped with a $500 fine and taken off the roads for three months.

Convictions were recorded.

Originally published as Warwick court: Five Southern Downs drink or drug drivers face sentenced