Chase man denies charges

A man allegedly involved in two police chases through Karratha in April that spanned several hours has pleaded not guilty to two remaining charges. Jerome Coffin, 27, appeared in Karratha Magistrate’s Court last Tuesday, where he pleaded not guilty to exceeding 0.08g alcohol per 100ml of blood and no authority to drive on April 17 in Pegs Creek. It comes after he pleaded not guilty to 11 charges in April relating to two alleged evade-police incidents, including three counts of failure to stop in circumstances of aggravation and three counts of reckless driving to escape pursuit by police. Police alleged the father was driving a silver Toyota Prado at high speed near Tambrey Drive in Nickol at 4.30am on April 12 when he was spotted by police. A pursuit then allegedly ensued, lasting several hours through Dampier Highway, Baynton, Nickol, and the light industrial area. Police claim four juveniles were inside the vehicle at the time. They will further allege Mr Coffin navigated a roundabout on the wrong side of the road before the vehicle was eventually intercepted. On April 17, another police pursuit allegedly took place at 9.05am along Bayview Road in Nickol while passengers in the vehicle were using their mobile phones to film. At 11.54am, police saw the vehicle in Pegs Creek. They allegedly saw Mr Coffin leave the vehicle and run from police before being apprehended. In May, defence lawyer Carly Price said the key issue was whether Mr Coffin was the one driving the vehicle at the time of the alleged pursuits. Mr Coffin was denied bail in May and is due to face trial in October.