Ethan John Dunemann, 18, pleads guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to police pursuit

A night in the watch-house was the closest a Toowoomba teenager came to spending time in prison after he was sentenced for a crime spree that ended in a police pursuit. DETAILS.

Ethan John Dunemann was sentenced in Toowoomba Magistrates Court for a number of offences including leading police of a pursuit on the Warrego Highway. Picture: Kevin Farmer

There was an air of uncertainty in a Toowoomba courtroom for the mother of an 18-year-old man facing prison for the first time.

Appearing via videolink Ethan John Dunemann pleaded guilty to a number of offences in Toowoomba Magistrates Court on Thursday, including aggravated evasion, receiving tainted property and unlawful possession of methylamphetamine.

The court was told the 18-year-old came to the attention of officers from Dalby Highway Patrol in June when he was clocked driving at 136km/h west of the Warrego Highway.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton told the court highway patrol initiated a pursuit with lights and sirens, following the vehicle for a period along the highway towards Warra.

The vehicle, a silver Hyundai, continued to drive at speed before performing a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre into the path of an oncoming truck, the court was told.

Sergeant Hutton told the court highway patrol officers ceased their pursuit with the vehicle located later that evening by St George police on Bray St before it once again took off.

Landing him in the watch-house overnight were the offences of receiving tainted property and unlawful possession of a dangerous drug.

A night in the watch-house was as close to adult prison for 18-year-old Ethan John Dunemann.

Sergeant Hutton told the court a number of tobacco and consumables, including a sum of cash, were stolen from Woolworths Highfields after unknown persons used hammers to smash their way in around midnight on June 26.

Police attended an address later that day in relation to the break and enter, locating Dunemann hiding inside a bedroom where they also found a satchel belonging to the 18-year-old containing several items matching those stolen from the major supermarket.

The court was told police also located $510 cash and a clip seal bag containing less than 1g of a crystal substance inside the satchel.

Dunemann told officers he was given the items by friends who had told him to “sell the items to anyone and give them back the cash”, that he’d recently used the crystal substance and the money found was his payment from Centrelink.

Duty solicitor Chelsea Saldumbide told the court Dunemann had admitted to having previously struggled with the use of methylamphetamine and had engaged in some rehabilitation.

Ms Saldumbide told the court Dunemann hadn’t been coping with recent news of a family member’s diagnosis of a terminal illness and began using the illicit substance again, leading to his recent offending.

The court was told Dunemann would be well supported in the community to help prevent him from making further poor decisions.

Magistrate Mark Howden told Dunemann he would not enforce the option of 50 days imprisonment for the aggravated evasion offence, instead fining him $7740.

Dunemann was further told by the court it was “strong suggested” he take steps to fix his drug habit.

He was also fined $300 for the remaining charges, referred to SPER, and a mandatory two-year licence disqualification for the evasion offence.

No conviction was recorded.