Police nab our worst road menace
Marking his territory: police allege that the Inverloch hoon left these 300m long tyre marks on Pier Road, Inverloch, in the week leading up to his arrest.
By Matt Dunn
LOCAL POLICE are hoping to secure jail time for a young Inverloch man who drove his car through the Wonthaggi CBD at 100km/h above the speed limit last Thursday.
The man, who is facing hoon charges dating back from last year, had a teenage girl in his car at the time of the latest offence.
Last week he gave police the slip, but they caught up with him yesterday morning after a raid on an Inverloch property where he was hiding.
“Last Thursday the Bass Coast Traffic Management Unit was coming back into Wonthaggi and detected this bloke on the Bass Highway going about 20km/h over the speed limit. They did a U-turn and by the time he’d done that he’s planted his foot,” Wonthaggi police’s Sergeant Jason Hullick told The Star.
“They were trying to catch up to him and they estimated his speed at somewhere in the vicinity of 200km/h. This bloke took off at the back of Dalyston – he went down a couple of roads down there – before he came back into Wonthaggi on Fullers Road.
“He entered a 50 zone, where his speed was clocked at 150km/h. He’s gone to McKenzie Street and he’s done a right hand turn onto Poplar Street. There was a witness on that street who thought there was a rocket going down the street. He said he’d never seen a vehicle travelling so fast on a highway, let alone in the middle of town.”
Sgt Hullick said the man jumped out of his car and “did a runner” soon after.
“This man has been the subject of numerous hoon complaints. He’s been the subject of more hoon complaints than you can poke a stick at. He’s a danger to everyone on the road,” he said.
“He got away by taking off into the scrub, but we picked him up today in his house in Inverloch and arrested him. He’s been interviewed for conduct endangering life and numerous traffic offences, exceeding the speed limit.you name it.”
The man’s vehicle was impounded on Thursday.
After being interviewed by police yesterday the man was transported to Morwell where he will face court, with prosecuting officers set to make a remand application “based on his offending and his continued dangerous driving.
“Hopefully he’ll get remanded or get some strict bail conditions. We were hoping to get him locked up and get him off the road, because he’s going to kill someone,” Sgt Hullick said.
Sgt Hullick said there were other matters being investigated by police in relation to the man.
“He’s got matters dating back from last year in relation to driving at dangerous speeds on the highway. He’s got some other things we’re looking into. He’s certainly a menace,” he said.
“He’s one of the worst traffic offenders I’ve ever dealt with. He just doesn’t get it. He had a passenger in the car last Thursday night – a teenage female. Those inquiries are still pending in relation to her.
“The speeds and the way he was driving are just madness.”
In other related news, Leongatha Police nabbed a 16-year-old drink driver from Nyora in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The learner driver was “unaccompanied by a fully licensed driver,” senior constable Jeff Watsford said.
“The driver blew .03, when he’s supposed to be zero. The car he was driving was unregistered as well and didn’t have any number plates,” he said.
“He’s facing a number of other traffic offences. He’ll go to the children’s court, charged on summons for exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol and the other traffic offences.”
The latest road incidents come on the back of a Victoria Police announcement that it has impounded 10,000 cars using anti-hoon legislation, introduced in July 2006.
Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay (Road Policing) said the large number of impoundments could be attributed to a number of key factors.
“The fact that we have impounded 10,000 of these hoons shows that some people have just not got the message. Speed and dangerous driver behaviour kills, and it is time for everyone, not just some, to wake up and realise that,” he said.
Male drivers represent about 96 per cent of all hoons, while female hoons have increased one per cent in the past year.
The average age of hoon drivers remains at 24, and the majority of impounds take place during weekends.
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