A HOON who has never held a driver's license lost control of his Ford Falcon while performing burnouts at Greta last week, hitting a teenage girl and causing her serious injuries.
After spending the night behind bars, Jesse Waeger, of Greta, appeared in Singleton Local Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, performing a burnout, driving while never licensed and using an unregistered and uninsured car.
Police had said the 17-year-old girl had been the victim of a hit and run crash on Camp Road at Greta on the night of August 8, but Waeger denies leaving the scene of the crash and on Thursday pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing grievous bodily harm.
Despite the guilty pleas, Waeger was released on bail on a number of strict conditions, including house arrest, reporting daily to police, not to occupy the driver's seat of a car and a $5000 surety.
He will next appear in Singleton Local Court on September 26.
Police say they were called to Maitland Hospital about 9.30pm on August 8 after a teenage girl presented with serious injures, believed to have been sustained in a crash.
Hunter Valley police said they were told the 17-year-old was struck in a hit-and run earlier that evening.
The girl was taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment for "serious lower body injuries" and police launched an investigation into the crash.
Following inquiries, police arrested Waeger at Greta about 2pm on Wednesday.
"Police will allege in court the 20-year-old man was performing burnouts in a Ford Falcon when he lost control of the vehicle and struck the 17-year-old girl," police said in a statement.
He was taken to Singleton police station, charged and refused bail by police overnight before being granted strict conditional bail in court on Thursday.
As well as the charges relating to the crash, Waeger was previously charged with a number of unrelated driving offences, including driving while never licensed and using an unregistered and uninsured car.
Those matters are in Singleton Local Court later this month.
The teenage girl is at least the third person struck by a car performing a burnout in the Hunter this year, with 22-year-old Daniel James Bevear last week pleading guilty to a number of charges relating to an out-of-control burnout that injured two girls at North Arm Cove in March.
