Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast woman rolled car on Warrego Highway while high on drug cocktail

Just days after a drugged-up Toowoomba mother was pulled from a wreck on the Warrego Highway after rolling her car, she was again caught behind the wheel while high, unable to talk or stay conscious.

A generic photo of a crash on the Warrego Highway west of Toowoomba. Picture: FILE / Kevin Farmer

A Toowoomba woman who repeatedly put herself and other road users at risk by driving while under the influence of a number of drugs has pleaded guilty to the crime after spending a night in the watch-house.

The now Sunshine Coast woman, Stevie Lauren O’Shea, appeared in Toowoomba Magistrates Court via the watch-house on Wednesday, August 24, after she was arrested on a PPRA warrant.

The court was told the serious and concerning drug driving incidents occurred in February.

Prior to that, she also failed to comply with police directions requiring her to hand over a DNA sample in relation to a different police investigation which took place before the drug driving incidents.

The 29-year=old woman, Stevie Lauren O’Shea, spent a night in the warh house on August 13, 2024.

Police prosecutor Anita Page said the first drug drive occurred on February 22 at Jondaryan on the Warrego Highway.

Ms Page said police, paramedics, and firefighters were called to a single-vehicle crash, after O’Shea rolled her car, trapping herself in the wreck.

She said a young passenger in the car was luckily uninjured, however O’Shea, who was so high she was unable to converse, had to be cut free from the car.

O’Shea was not seriously injured in the crash and was taken to hospital to have her blood drawn for testing.

When police searched O’Shea’s handbag they found a number of drugs and paraphernalia used for injecting methamphetamine, including baggies of white powder, Lyrica (pain medication), and Vasafil (an erectile dysfunction drug).

On March 2, Ms Page said emergency services again rushed to an incident, this time at Kearneys Spring, after a high O’Shea’s had driven to a shopping plaza.

A generic photo of a crash on the Warrego Highway west of Toowoomba. Picture: FILE / Nev Madsen.

She said when police arrived O’Shea was on a stretcher next to her car, after concerned shoppers reported a woman who was slumped over a shopping trolley, was unable to speak or stay conscious.

Soon after her sister arrived on the scene and told emergency services O’Shea wasn’t on drugs, and was just tired and dehydrated.

A blood test confirmed she had the following drugs in her system; methamphetamine, amphetamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), diazepam, nordiazepam, and Lyrica.

Ms Page said O’Shea refused to partake in an interview about the driving matters on May 28, when she was arrested for unrelated matters.

The court was told that on July 20, the 29-year-old stole a $425 pair of Versace sunglasses from Sunglass Hut at Grand Central Shopping Centre

A month after O’Shea stole the sunglasses, Ms Page said Toowoomba police arrested the mother after finding her hiding in a closet when they went looking for her at an address.

Magistrate Kyna Morice expressed confusion and “concern” about how police handled O’Shea’s matters, practically the timing of her charges and why she spent a night in the watch-house.

The court heard all her charges, minus the shop steal, predated a lengthy probation order O’Shea was sentenced to in 2024, and she was issued with a notice to appear for the driving charges about six months after the incidents.

Probation and Parole said they would not be breaching O’Shea for the fresh shop steal charge.

The court was told the former hospitality and retail worker began committing drug offences later in life after being introduced to meth by a former partner and had been struggling with addiction since.

Ms Morice said O’Shea’s behaviour showed she was in the grip of a severe addiction and said the crash was very concerning conduct.

She noted since the driving incidents O’Shea had relocated to a new town, had a new job, and was back on the right trajectory to staying clean.

On Wednesday, August 14, O’Shea pleaded guilty to possessing drugs, contravening the requirement of police, stealing, and driving under the influence without due care and attention.

O’Shea was sentenced to a 20-month probation order to run at the same time as her pre-existing order, disqualified from driving for 12 months, and ordered to pay $425 in restitution to Sunglass Hut.