August 14, 2014
A woman who appeared in Kingaroy Magistrates Court today on 10 charges will stay in jail until at least just before Christmas.
Elizabeth Gehrke, 32, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of stealing, enter premises and unlawful use of a motor vehicle as well as single charges of unlicensed driving and contravening a police direction.
Police Prosecutor Sgt Wayne Bushell said Gehrke was serving two suspended jail sentences when some of the offences were committed.
The theft charges related to groceries, fuel, make-up, false nails and a bracelet.
Gehrke also stole $4750 worth of goods from a shed on her parents’ property while they were on holidays, including a water pump, chainsaw, whipper snipper and generator. She also took four firearms from a gunsafe.
On December 20 last year, she broke into an Anglican Church office and stole about $500 cash collected by the parishioners as part of their annual Christmas Bowl appeal.
The unlawful use of motor vehicle charges related to two instances when Gehrke had persuaded people to loan her cars but did not return them.
“She told police she had destroyed it (the second car) by running a tractor over it but couldn’t say where; somewhere in Yarraman,” Sgt Bushell said.
The “contravene direction” charge related to her providing a false name to police.
Acting Magistrate Graham Hillan imposed jail sentences totalling nine months and fined her $900.
He also ordered she pay a total of $5383.90 restitution and invoked the suspended sentences which will be served cumulatively to the other sentence.
He set a parole release date of December 22, 2014.
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Police did not oppose bail today in Kingaroy Magistrates Court for a Nanango man who has been held in custody since his arrest in March.
Brendon John Jackson has told the court previously he intends to plead not guilty to charges of possessing and supplying dangerous drugs.
Solicitor Chris Campbell said today his client intended to maintain his plea of not guilty.
Prosecutor Sgt Bushell said an earlier hearing had been aborted by a prosecution application.
Magistrate Hillan granted Jackson bail on condition he have no contact directly or indirectly with any prosecution witnesses.
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A man clocked by police at 122km/h in a 60km/h zone in Youngman Street, Kingaroy, has been fined $1200 and disqualified from driving for six months.
Colin Reginald Bell, 28, pleaded guilty to speeding and driving without due care and attention.
Prosecutor Sgt Bushell said a police patrol responding to a hooning complaint spotted a black Commodore ute making a lot of noise; the vehicle then fishtailed and took off at high speed.
After Bell did a U-turn he was intercepted by police. His car was impounded for 90 days.
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A nurse on night duty who stole 20 tablets of endone and several ampoules of morphine while working at a local hospital has thrown her career “down the drain”.
Magistrate Graham Hillan said Michelle Karen Hampton, 36, had “put paid” to all the expense and time she had put into becoming a nurse.
Hampton pleaded guilty to stealing as a servant.
Mr Hillan acknowleded that Hampton had been under stress and there had been a death in the family, but that did not excuse the offence.
He fined her $1200. No conviction was recorded.
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Police found five Medicare cards in different names, a Visa card and seven drivers’ licences and equipment used to forge licences when they raided a house in Blackbutt.
Dathan Lee Quinn, 42, pleaded guilty to receiving tainted property, unlawful possession of a licence and using a thing to forge a document.
He also pleaded guilty to two unrelated drugs charges following a traffic stop by police in July where methamphetamine was located.
Solicitor Caroline Cavanagh said her client had told her he had made the licences for something to do.
However, Magistrate Hillan said other unlawful reasons could be suggested.
Quinn was fined a total of $2700. Convictions were recorded.
