Rim trail leads police to hoon’s Plantagenet driveway

A hoon who blew a tyre doing a burnout in Mt Barker left a clear trail for police to follow after driving home on his rim. Andrew Peter Jones, who has never held a driver’s license, got behind the wheel of an unlicensed Ford Falcon in the early hours of March 14, Albany Magistrate’s Court was told last Thursday. His defence counsel said he went for a drive because he could not get to sleep. Prosecuting Sergeant Alan Dean told the court Jones recklessly drove the car twice in the space of the next few hours. The first of the offences came at 12:30am, when the 20-year-old did a burnout at the intersection of Carbarup Road and Woogenellup Road. Mt Barker Community College was his next target. In the school’s car park, Jones used his Falcon to leave more rubber on the bitumen, with a mix of burnouts including “doughnuts”. He also left “long, black snake-like” markings along the school’s driveway, according to police. Jones’ rear right tire blew after it was involved in another burnout on Woogenullup Road and before he drove home on a rim. Sgt Dean told the court police followed a 5km trail along Woogenullup Road, which led them directly to the Falcon parked in his driveway. Magistrate Raelene Johnston said Jones appeared “unashamed” of his actions, based on the way he “presented himself” in court. The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts each of reckless driving, no authority to drive and using an unlicensed vehicle on a road. He was handed a mandatory six-month license disqualification and ordered to pay more than $2000 in fines and court costs. Ms Johnston said there was no justification for the “really stupid things” he did on the morning of March 14 and she hoped the experience had given him “food for thought”.