2 days ago
Drug dealer who slammed ute into power pole at Anna Bay rues rainy day
IT had been raining on the afternoon of March 6 this year when Clay Letherbarrow skidded off the road at Anna Bay and slammed his ute into a power pole.
And it was the rainy conditions that led police to focus on a Gucci bag that seemed out of place under a nearby tree.
Within a few minutes police had gone from responding to a routine car crash to uncovering a stash of methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis and chasing a drug dealer across four lanes of highway and wrestling with him in a paddock.
Letherbarrow, 25, of Anna Bay, who is represented by solicitor Kristy Wade, had pleaded not guilty to negligent driving over the crash, two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and possession of a prohibited drug and was expected to face a hearing in Raymond Terrace Local Court.
But he changed his pleas on Thursday and admitted to supplying methamphetamine and MDMA and possession of cannabis in relation to the drugs found in the bag after the crash.
Letherbarrow remains behind bars and will be sentenced on August 27.
According to court documents, Letherbarrow was driving a Toyota HiLux along Nelson Bay Road at Anna Bay in raining conditions about 2pm on March 6 when he lost control and hit a power pole.
He wasn't injured, but a passerby decided to call triple-zero to report the accident.
Police arrived a short time later and spotted Letherbarrow walking out of the bushes on the other side of the car.
Police checks returned multiple warnings for Letherbarrow and he appeared "fidgeting and nervous".
And it was when police walked around to where Letherbarrow had come out of the bushes that they spotted a Gucci bag under a nearby tree.
Despite the rain, the bag wasn't wet, police said.
It looked clean and new and police thought it hadn't been there long and perhaps Letherbarrow had quickly grabbed it from the car and stashed it under the tree before police arrived.
Police searched the bag and found 36 grams of cannabis and other larger quantities of methamphetamine and what turned out to be MDMA.
As well as the drugs, police found a mobile phone and a bottle of prescription medication that had Letherbarrow's name on it.
Police went back to where Letherbarrow was standing and were in the process of cautioning and questioning him about the drugs when the 25-year-old suddenly grabbed the bag and ran from police.
He took off across the four lanes of Nelson Bay Road and into a paddock, throwing items out of the bag as he ran.
Police gave chase as Letherbarrow attempted to evade them before officers caught up to him and they began to wrestle in the paddock.
Letherbarrow, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting arrest, tried to overpower police, but officers gained control and handcuffed him.
He was taken back to Nelson Bay police station and declined to be interviewed.
IT had been raining on the afternoon of March 6 this year when Clay Letherbarrow skidded off the road at Anna Bay and slammed his ute into a power pole.
And it was the rainy conditions that led police to focus on a Gucci bag that seemed out of place under a nearby tree.
Within a few minutes police had gone from responding to a routine car crash to uncovering a stash of methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis and chasing a drug dealer across four lanes of highway and wrestling with him in a paddock.
Letherbarrow, 25, of Anna Bay, who is represented by solicitor Kristy Wade, had pleaded not guilty to negligent driving over the crash, two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and possession of a prohibited drug and was expected to face a hearing in Raymond Terrace Local Court.
But he changed his pleas on Thursday and admitted to supplying methamphetamine and MDMA and possession of cannabis in relation to the drugs found in the bag after the crash.
Letherbarrow remains behind bars and will be sentenced on August 27.
According to court documents, Letherbarrow was driving a Toyota HiLux along Nelson Bay Road at Anna Bay in raining conditions about 2pm on March 6 when he lost control and hit a power pole.
He wasn't injured, but a passerby decided to call triple-zero to report the accident.
Police arrived a short time later and spotted Letherbarrow walking out of the bushes on the other side of the car.
Police checks returned multiple warnings for Letherbarrow and he appeared "fidgeting and nervous".
And it was when police walked around to where Letherbarrow had come out of the bushes that they spotted a Gucci bag under a nearby tree.
Despite the rain, the bag wasn't wet, police said.
It looked clean and new and police thought it hadn't been there long and perhaps Letherbarrow had quickly grabbed it from the car and stashed it under the tree before police arrived.
Police searched the bag and found 36 grams of cannabis and other larger quantities of methamphetamine and what turned out to be MDMA.
As well as the drugs, police found a mobile phone and a bottle of prescription medication that had Letherbarrow's name on it.
Police went back to where Letherbarrow was standing and were in the process of cautioning and questioning him about the drugs when the 25-year-old suddenly grabbed the bag and ran from police.
He took off across the four lanes of Nelson Bay Road and into a paddock, throwing items out of the bag as he ran.
Police gave chase as Letherbarrow attempted to evade them before officers caught up to him and they began to wrestle in the paddock.
Letherbarrow, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting arrest, tried to overpower police, but officers gained control and handcuffed him.
He was taken back to Nelson Bay police station and declined to be interviewed.
IT had been raining on the afternoon of March 6 this year when Clay Letherbarrow skidded off the road at Anna Bay and slammed his ute into a power pole.
And it was the rainy conditions that led police to focus on a Gucci bag that seemed out of place under a nearby tree.
Within a few minutes police had gone from responding to a routine car crash to uncovering a stash of methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis and chasing a drug dealer across four lanes of highway and wrestling with him in a paddock.
Letherbarrow, 25, of Anna Bay, who is represented by solicitor Kristy Wade, had pleaded not guilty to negligent driving over the crash, two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and possession of a prohibited drug and was expected to face a hearing in Raymond Terrace Local Court.
But he changed his pleas on Thursday and admitted to supplying methamphetamine and MDMA and possession of cannabis in relation to the drugs found in the bag after the crash.
Letherbarrow remains behind bars and will be sentenced on August 27.
According to court documents, Letherbarrow was driving a Toyota HiLux along Nelson Bay Road at Anna Bay in raining conditions about 2pm on March 6 when he lost control and hit a power pole.
He wasn't injured, but a passerby decided to call triple-zero to report the accident.
Police arrived a short time later and spotted Letherbarrow walking out of the bushes on the other side of the car.
Police checks returned multiple warnings for Letherbarrow and he appeared "fidgeting and nervous".
And it was when police walked around to where Letherbarrow had come out of the bushes that they spotted a Gucci bag under a nearby tree.
Despite the rain, the bag wasn't wet, police said.
It looked clean and new and police thought it hadn't been there long and perhaps Letherbarrow had quickly grabbed it from the car and stashed it under the tree before police arrived.
Police searched the bag and found 36 grams of cannabis and other larger quantities of methamphetamine and what turned out to be MDMA.
As well as the drugs, police found a mobile phone and a bottle of prescription medication that had Letherbarrow's name on it.
Police went back to where Letherbarrow was standing and were in the process of cautioning and questioning him about the drugs when the 25-year-old suddenly grabbed the bag and ran from police.
He took off across the four lanes of Nelson Bay Road and into a paddock, throwing items out of the bag as he ran.
Police gave chase as Letherbarrow attempted to evade them before officers caught up to him and they began to wrestle in the paddock.
Letherbarrow, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting arrest, tried to overpower police, but officers gained control and handcuffed him.
He was taken back to Nelson Bay police station and declined to be interviewed.
IT had been raining on the afternoon of March 6 this year when Clay Letherbarrow skidded off the road at Anna Bay and slammed his ute into a power pole.
And it was the rainy conditions that led police to focus on a Gucci bag that seemed out of place under a nearby tree.
Within a few minutes police had gone from responding to a routine car crash to uncovering a stash of methamphetamine, MDMA and cannabis and chasing a drug dealer across four lanes of highway and wrestling with him in a paddock.
Letherbarrow, 25, of Anna Bay, who is represented by solicitor Kristy Wade, had pleaded not guilty to negligent driving over the crash, two counts of supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug and possession of a prohibited drug and was expected to face a hearing in Raymond Terrace Local Court.
But he changed his pleas on Thursday and admitted to supplying methamphetamine and MDMA and possession of cannabis in relation to the drugs found in the bag after the crash.
Letherbarrow remains behind bars and will be sentenced on August 27.
According to court documents, Letherbarrow was driving a Toyota HiLux along Nelson Bay Road at Anna Bay in raining conditions about 2pm on March 6 when he lost control and hit a power pole.
He wasn't injured, but a passerby decided to call triple-zero to report the accident.
Police arrived a short time later and spotted Letherbarrow walking out of the bushes on the other side of the car.
Police checks returned multiple warnings for Letherbarrow and he appeared "fidgeting and nervous".
And it was when police walked around to where Letherbarrow had come out of the bushes that they spotted a Gucci bag under a nearby tree.
Despite the rain, the bag wasn't wet, police said.
It looked clean and new and police thought it hadn't been there long and perhaps Letherbarrow had quickly grabbed it from the car and stashed it under the tree before police arrived.
Police searched the bag and found 36 grams of cannabis and other larger quantities of methamphetamine and what turned out to be MDMA.
As well as the drugs, police found a mobile phone and a bottle of prescription medication that had Letherbarrow's name on it.
Police went back to where Letherbarrow was standing and were in the process of cautioning and questioning him about the drugs when the 25-year-old suddenly grabbed the bag and ran from police.
He took off across the four lanes of Nelson Bay Road and into a paddock, throwing items out of the bag as he ran.
Police gave chase as Letherbarrow attempted to evade them before officers caught up to him and they began to wrestle in the paddock.
Letherbarrow, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of resisting arrest, tried to overpower police, but officers gained control and handcuffed him.
He was taken back to Nelson Bay police station and declined to be interviewed.
