A juvenile joyride traffic incident involving a stolen vehicle has left both the Whitsundays and Burdekin communities on high alert following an almost 24-hour ordeal.
A white Hyundai hatchback was reported stolen from an address close to Home Hill State School the morning of Monday the 20th of January. Locals took to online platforms to demand harsher consequences for offenders with many members of the community saddened to learn the car belonged to a Home Hill grandmother.
Reports have emerged of witnesses sighting the stolen vehicle driving recklessly at around 11pm on Monday night around Soldiers and Horseshoe Bay Road in Bowen, with locals warning their neighbours to take precaution and sharing CCTV footage online.
“Warning Bowen residents – there is a stolen car from Ayr making its way around Bowen, a white hatchback, lock your cars and doors, police have been notified,” shared one concerned Bowen resident.
The five offenders aged 13, 14, 15, 17 and 18, then drove the stolen car back along the Bruce Highway and home to the Burdekin before crashing into an Alva Beach electricity pole at around 5:30am.
“The group of five allegedly left the scene on foot and attempted to evade police but were arrested a short time later at a local caravan park,” a QPS spokeswoman said.
A 13-year-old Home Hill girl, a 14-year-old Home Hill boy, a 15-year-old Home Hill girl, and a 17-year-old Home Hill girl were all charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle – use in company and appeared in the Ayr Children’s Court on Wednesday the 29th of January.
The fifth offender, an 18-year-old Home Hill man has been charged with one count each of unlawful use of a motor vehicle – use in company, possessing dangerous drugs, possessing utensils or pipes that had been used and breach of bail offences. He is due to appear in the Ayr Magistrates Court on Monday the 10th of February.
The car was left extremely damaged after the ordeal
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