A 21-year-old man was fined $500 and disqualified for three months for driving with cannabis and methamphetamine in his blood.
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Bradley Mark Harris of Gladstone Street, Mudgee, tested positive when stopped for random breath and drug testing in Douro Street on April 30.
His solicitor, Richard Wise, said that his client went to a party following a “stressful week” where he had a bong, but doesn’t know about the meth.
Magistrate Andrew George, said “I would guess that there are about 20 people in the list today with similar offences, drugs or alcohol”.
“You are a threat to all of us when you do this.”
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A man charged with four counts of driving with drugs in his system was fined a total of $6000 and disqualified for 12 months when he failed to appear in court.
Mark Anthony Ellis, aged 32, of Bell Street, Mudgee, tested positive to driving with methamphetamine in his blood on April 25 and June 6.
And for testing positive to cannabis and methamphetamine on May 11 and July 4.
Magistrate Andrew George said Ellis was fined and disqualified “with no prison sentence available for this offence”.
His solicitor Adam Edwards was granted leave to withdraw from representing him when he failed to appear.
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A woman charged with testing positive to cannabis while driving from Nimbin, was fined $500 and disqualified for six months.
Nadine Yvonne Richards, aged 23, of Yarrawonga, was stopped on May 8 on the Nimbin Road at Goolmangar.
Magistrate Andrew George said, “this offence is at epidemic proportion, although I’ve stopped being shocked a long time ago”.
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A disqualified driver caught behind the wheel was told the sentences available run out if he continues to drive when he’s not supposed to.
Steven William John Jones, aged 23, of Mulgoa Way, Mudgee, was sentenced to a 18-month good behaviour and disqualified for a further 12 months.
Jones was stopped by police on August 9 in order to conduct a random breath test and admitted he was disqualified, a check revealed this was for a period of three years from March 2017.
Magistrate Andrew George told the defendant, “if you continue to drive the options for what to do with you run out. The jails are overflowing with people who don’t realise they can’t drive”.
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A truck driver who took less than the minimum rest time was fined $400 along with professional costs of $250.
Paul James McCrohon, aged 50, of Adams Street, Mudgee, was stopped at a heavy vehicle inspection site on the Princes Highway at South Nowra on June 13.
A check found that from June 7-8 he only took a 5.5 hour rest break, the minimum for a 24-hour period is seven hours.
McCrohon, who represented himself in court, said that he “just miscalculated”.
To which Magistrate Andrew George asked, “how? It’s pretty fundamental isn’t it?”
He continued, “you are a professional driver, you’ve got to respect what the law requires of you”.
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A P-plater was fined $200 and was disqualified for three months for being above above his zero limit but below low range.
Jesse Croft, aged 23, of Nimoola Road, Cooks Gap, pleaded guilty to the charge ‘Special category driver drive with special range Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol’.
He was stopped at a random breath testing site on the Ulan Road at Mudgee on August 1, 2017, where he returned a positive result and was taken to Mudgee police station where a breath analysis of 0.020 was recorded.
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A 43-year-old man was fined $800 and disqualified for six months for mid-range drink driving.
Vikas Kumar of Mayne Street, Gulgong, was stopped for a random breath test after 11pm on July 30, which was positive for alcohol and he was taken to Gulgong police station where a breath analysis of 0.086 was recorded.
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A man whose never held a licence caught riding an unregistered trail bike on the road with a mid-range blood alcohol level, was fined a total of $2400 and disqualified for 12 months.
Scott Michael Martin, aged 43, of Lawson Street, Mudgee, was seen riding the bike – that had no number plate - by police on July 7 in George Street.
He told them he was working on it and took it for a ride.
Martin admitted the bike was unregistered and that he has never been licenced, he also said “I’m an idiot”.
A roadside breath test was positive for alcohol and he was taken to Mudgee police station where a breath analysis of 0.080 was recorded.
