McCain worker gets final chance after weapons-laden high-speed chase
Jonnie Bernard, 22, avoided jail after leading police on a high-speed pursuit with an axe, knife and drugs in his car.
A McCain Foods worker has been told he is on his last chance after a late-night police pursuit in Ballarat. Jonnie Bernard, 22, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving while pursued, drug possession and weapons possession.
During the chase, he turned his lights off and drove on the wrong side of the road. Police abandoned the pursuit because of his speed but apprehended him later, finding an axe, knife and drugs in his vehicle.
Magistrate Guillaume Bailin sentenced Bernard to a two-year community corrections order with 120 hours unpaid work and mandatory drug treatment. Bailin told him: "The next sentence is jail and that's all we have left."
Bernard's prior convictions included failing to stop for police and careless driving.
- Jonnie Bernard, 22, McCain Foods worker
- Defendant age and employer
- Axe, knife and drugs
- Weapons found in vehicle
Why it mattersShows how courts balance youth and early guilty pleas against serious driving and weapons offences, while flagging reckless pursuits as a growing problem among young drivers.
AustraliaAustralian drivers face court consequences for high-speed police pursuits; magistrates using final warnings to deter young people from dangerous road behaviour.
