A couple allegedly stole a tractor and drove it erratically on a busy highway, before crashing it into an army base on Saturday, June 17, a court has heard.
Quinn Schmook, 36, and Tanya Taylor, 38, both of Narrogin, Western Australia, applied for bail in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 19.
They are both charged with theft of the tractor, theft of a hay feeder trailer, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving in a dangerous manner, dangerous driving while pursued by police, failing to stop on police direction, criminal damage, trespassing on Commonwealth land, and possessing methamphetamines.
Benalla Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Constable Luke Arrowsmith told the court the pair allegedly stole a $150,000 John Deere 6140M tractor — with a Pearce hay feeder trailer attached — from a machinery shed on a property at Arcadia South at 8am on Saturday.
They then drove south along the Goulburn Valley Hwy while raising the front-end loader bucket up and down, Det Sen Constable Arrowsmith said.
The court heard another motorist saw the tractor swerving across both lanes and almost collide with a bus at Mangalore at 10.20am.
They also saw it swerve and crash into a wire barrier nearby.
Twelve minutes later police tried to stop the tractor as it drove into Seymour and through the main street.
Instead, Det Sen Constable Arrowsmith said the tractor continued through the roundabout under the Hume Fwy where it almost rolled.
Police turned off lights and sirens but continued to observe the vehicle as it drove on the Seymour-Tooborac Rd, where they saw it allegedly swerving onto the wrong side of the road.
The court heard at 10.48am police overtook the tractor and parked their car across the entrance to the Puckapunyal Military Base in front of the tractor that was heading towards it in an attempt to protect the base.
The tractor swerved and rammed a security fence twice with the tractor bucket, causing it to collapse about 11am.
The tractor stalled after the collision with the fence.
Det Sen Constable Arrowsmith said the pair appeared “severely drug affected” and were “showing the symptoms of drug-affected psychosis” when they were arrested.
The police officer said he was “completely shocked that no-one was injured or worse during the incident”.
He also said police were concerned about the risk they would re-offend while on bail, and were concerned that Mr Schmook did not have any ties to Victoria.
Defence solicitors for both accused said their clients could live with Ms Taylor’s mother in Warburton if they were bailed.
Mr Schomook’s solicitor Geoff Clancy said there was no suggestion by police that the pair “deliberately drove” the tractor towards the military base.
Defence solicitors for both accused asked that the matter be adjourned part heard to Benalla Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday so they could have Court Integrated Services Program assessments down on their clients before the magistrate made a decision on whether to bail them.