A Wangaratta man has been warned of jail time for the second time in months after completing just three of a required 180 hours of community work.

The 23-year-old appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court last Thursday for judicial monitoring.

After being sentenced on an 18-month community corrections order in August last year, the court heard the man had completed just three of his required 180 hours of community work, was not appearing to appointments and continued to use drugs.

At a previous judicial monitoring hearing in November, the court heard the man had completed none of his community work and had skipped appointments and drug screening.

“You’re not having a red-hot go are you,” Magistrate Ian Watkins said.

On 26 October, 2024, the man crashed a utility into a large gumtree on Glenrowan-Moyhu Road near Moyhu which left him unconscious and in a critical condition.

Several bystanders in the area assisted him prior to being airlifted to a Melbourne hospital.

He was placed under an induced coma for 13 days and sustained a fractured jaw and vertebrae which required rods, bolts, screws and plates to be inserted into his body.

Blood samples detected methylamphetamine in his system, with a small zip lock bag of the drug found in his wallet by police with his disqualified driver’s licence.

Nearly a month prior to that incident, the man almost collided with oncoming traffic as he attempted to speed away from police in a 32-year-old Holden near Mason Street.

The court also heard the man was allegedly involved in a recent motor vehicle accident, despite having a disqualified licence.

Corrections officer Robert Parkinson said jail time could be in the picture if the man was charged with further offending while not being compliant on his order.

The 23-year-old said he had never been to jail before.

“I need to pull my finger out,” he said.

He is set to return to Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on 12 March for a contest mention while Magistrate Watkins set further judicial monitoring on 4 May.

“Make a better effort, you’ll find it’s a lot easier if you get off those drugs,” he said.

“I don’t want to have to send you to jail, but it’s up to you.”