Shantelle Sharee McNally came to the attention of police in June the Dunedin District Court heard last week. Photo / Otago Daily Times
An Invercargill woman who has distanced herself from substance abuse says “meth is the devil”.
Shantelle Sharee McNally, 35, came to the attention of police in June when she was arrested in relation to a threatening behaviour incident in Alexandra, the Dunedin District Court heard last week.
Her phone was seized and examined by the digital forensic unit in Dunedin.
Among the evidence found were messages offering a female associate “2 small bags but jam packed full” of “buds”.
McNally had another run-in with police only a few weeks later, fleeing from them in her partner’s car, leading to the vehicle being impounded.
Upon searching the car, police seized 288g of cannabis.
Ten days later ambulance staff had to call for backup at a Cromwell address where they were treating McNally.
She became aggressive towards paramedics, chasing them from her home and forcing them to take refuge in the ambulance.
Yelling and cursing, McNally spat at the officer in the driver’s seat, causing a large amount of saliva to hit the window.
Ambulance staff were extremely concerned for the defendant’s health and feared she could have a cardiac arrest.
McNally’s partner arrived home to the chaotic scene.
He proceeded to barricade himself and his partner in a bedroom, insisting he would look after her.
Eleven emergency staff were involved in more than two hours of negotiations with the couple which resulted in the pair being transported to Lakes District Hospital in Queenstown.
McNally reportedly had no memory of the evening’s events, the court heard.
A search of her home unearthed a range of drug paraphernalia and illegal substances; a skull-shaped meth pipe, three point bags of methamphetamine, a ball of cannabis resin weighing 4.2g, and 92g of cannabis.
The next morning police were called to assist hospital staff again when McNally and her partner became verbally abusive, throwing a table to the ground.
Judge David Robinson noted that there were many aggravating factors, as the victims, in this case, were first responders and health workers who were “only trying to do their job”.
Ten days after the dramatic showdown involving emergency staff, McNally found herself at the Dunedin police station where she was arrested and searched.
Yet again she was found in possession of a range of incriminating evidence; a meth utensil, 1.16g of cannabis, cannabis oil and 0.04g of methamphetamine.
When McNally’s cellphone was seized she refused to provide an accurate code to her device, deliberately locking herself and the police out.
McNally was convicted of 14 drug and violence charges and sentenced to 12 months’ intensive supervision.
Judge Robinson was sympathetic to McNally’s drug addiction problems and pointed out that she “demonstrated the right attitude” and seemed to have “turned a corner”.
McNally reportedly spent nearly five months in custody reflecting, getting the drugs out of her system and planning for the future with an awareness that she was at risk of “spiralling out of control”.
She described meth as “the devil”, the judge said.
He assured McNally that the need for punishment had been served and her sole focus should be getting healthy.
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