Of the 65 people who appeared, or were expected to appear, in Parkes Local Court on July 20, 10 of them were for drug driving offences.
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According to the police facts tendered in court, methamphetamine and cannabis continue to be among the most offending drugs in motorists' systems.
There was also one man from Forbes who was detected driving with an illicit drug present in his system twice in as many months, indicating that many drivers are continuing to ignore warnings from police on the dangers of drug driving.
Half of the 'drive vehicle with an illicit drug present in blood' charges that came before Magistrate Brett Thomas that day were dealt with in the person's absence after they chose not to appear in court.
Among them was Wayne Michael Hornery of Westcott Crescent, Parkes who was convicted in his absence and fined $600 each for a second drug driving offence and drive vehicle during disqualification period.
The 42-year-old was also disqualified from driving for a further six months.
According to police facts, Hornery was only nine days out from getting his licence back after a previous prescribed illicit drug driving charge disqualified him from October 2022 to April 18 this year.
Officers stopped Hornery in Hartigan Avenue, Parkes about 2.15pm on April 9 after their automatic number plate recognition system detected his vehicle was unregistered.
Police checks showed Hornery was the holder of a disqualified HR driver's licence and that his car registration expired in March.
His roadside drug test and secondary test at Parkes Police Station came back positive for methamphetamine and cannabis.
Hornery told police "I took some a few days ago".
Forbes man Dominic James Moore of Weelong Place tested positive to methamphetamine when he was stopped in Calarie Road, Forbes about 12.30pm on February 18 this year. His secondary test at Forbes Police Station was a negative result but the remainder of his sample was sent away for analysis to the NSW Forensic and Analytical Science Service at Lidcombe which came back positive.
Two months later, on April 10, police stopped the 45-year-old in the Parkes McDonald's car park about 11.30am for random testing, which was positive for methamphetamine.
Magistrate Thomas convicted Moore in his absence and fined him $300 for each offence and disqualified him from driving for three months.
Brenton John Trainor of Brolgan Road, Parkes tested positive to methamphetamine during random testing in Hooley Street, Parkes about 3.20am on April 22 this year. But when the 33-year-old was arrested to take a secondary test at Parkes Police Station, he refused to exit his vehicle and demanded to see the positive roadside test.
After some time Trainor got out of the car and attempted to walk off from police, who handcuffed him and conveyed him to the station.
Trainor continued to demand to see the positive roadside test and refused to undertake any further testing until he saw it.
He later agreed to a secondary test which was inconclusive but the remainder of his sample sent away for analysis in Lidcombe came back positive. Trainor was convicted and fined $600 in his absence, and disqualified from driving for six months.
Parkes man Zachary Ashley Hinz of Brolgan Road pleaded guilty to the offence that occurred on April 12 this year at 3.40pm.
Police stopped the 28-year-old's panel van in Hooley Street in Parkes for random testing, during which he tested positive for cannabis.
Hinz was convicted, fined $300 and disqualified from driving for three months.