Tommylee Glen Stephens: Man pleads guilty to damage of vehicles, stolen security cameras in Geraldton

A man who caused damage to two vehicles in Mount Tarcoola, including a school bus, has pleaded guilty to four offences from the same day. Tommylee Glen Stephens, 20, admitted to smashing the door of a bus at Mount Tarcoola Primary School and damaging the bonnet of a car belonging to Able Kids Occupational Therapy, as well as stealing two security cameras from the outside of a building. On Monday September 23, around 7.45pm, police say the man trespassed on school grounds and tried to get on a bus at the school. When he wasn’t able to, police said he smashed the bus’ rear window using a pair of scissors. The incident was captured on CCTV, and police also said video of the incident was posted on Snapchat. About 8.15pm, police said Stephens went to the Able Kids office in Mt Tarcoola and kicked a sliding door, before climbing on a railing to remove a security camera. He was captured on video as he removed the camera, before he noticed another security camera and removed it. Police said he also climbed on the building and jumped down on to a red Subaru Forrester belonging to the company. The total costs of the damage to the vehicles and the stolen cameras came to $1390. Police charged Stephens with one count each of trespassing, damaging property, criminal damage or destruction of property, and stealing. Defence lawyer Veronica Randall said Stephens was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident, and he called it “a stupid mistake”. Magistrate Kelly Thompson said two people’s property was damaged as a result of Stephens’ actions, and alcohol use was not an excuse. However, she said Stephens had shown an ability to stay out of trouble given it had been two years since his last appearance in court. The 20-year-old was sentenced to a six-month community order, 40 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay the $1390 to the respective businesses for the damage.