Shaun Ashley Trease, 51, of Numurkah, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to three counts of drug-driving, possessing oxycodone, possessing methamphetamines, using methamphetamines, possessing a prohibited weapon, failing to record required information in a work diary and failing to record required information immediately after starting.
Trease tested positive to methamphetamines in a drug test after police pulled over his Kenworth prime mover truck on Tocumwal Rd at Numurkah on November 8, 2023.
They also found two zip-lock bags containing methamphetamines in the truck, as well as oxycodone, drug paraphernalia and a spring-loaded double-edged knife.
The court heard Trease again tested positive to methamphetamines in a drug test after he was pulled over while driving a truck on Tocumwal Rd at Numurkah on July 12.
Sixteen days later, on July 30, he again tested positive to methamphetamines in a drug test when his truck was pulled over on the Murray Valley Hwy at Kerang.
On that occasion, police also found problems with his truck logbook, including that he had not put in any information that day, and his last recorded information, on July 23, was incomplete.
Speaking to the magistrate himself, Trease said two of the occasions he was stopped by police were when he was “reversing up my driveway”.
When Trease pleaded guilty to the charges in early November, he was assessed as suitable for a community corrections order, but concerns were raised about him needing to travel interstate to train someone to drive his truck.
Magistrate Olivia Trumble deferred his sentence for him to prove he was getting help with a drug issue and to show clean drug screens.
When the matter came back to court six weeks later, Trease’s defence solicitor, Olinka Ondrik, told the court her client had been proactive and had done four counselling sessions since the last court date and had completed four drug tests, which had all been negative.
Ms Trumble praised Trease for doing the work to address his drug issues.
“When you first came in front of me I was very concerned about the number of times you’d driven with drugs in your system,” Ms Trumble said.
“To your credit, you’ve gone on to do counselling and have negative drug screens.”
Ms Trumble fined Trease $1500.
She also disqualified him from driving for 18 months, backdated to August 8.
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