Tahleah Clair Flowers: Katanning woman jailed and fined after assaulting, threatening police with pot plant

A Katanning woman who stole plants, threatened an officer with a pot plant and assaulted two police officers has been jailed. Tahleah Clair Flowers appeared in Katanning Magistrates Court on Tuesday via videolink from Bandyup Women’s Prison to be sentenced for stealing, trespassing, obstructing police and assaulting two officers. The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to all six charges. At 9pm on January 24, CCTV recorded Flowers and a co-accused trespassing at a Katanning home, where she stole a pot plant, a wheelbarrow of plants and a hose from the front porch. About a month later, on February 26, Katanning police arrested Flowers for breaching her curfew from a previous court matter. Flowers shouted obscenities and threatened the officers with a nearby pot plant. While Flowers was being placed in handcuffs, she kicked an officer in the groin and spat on his leg. A routine search at Katanning police station uncovered a container with 0.8g of cannabis in her tracksuit pants. Later that morning during an identity check, Flowers flailed her arms around and punched an officer in the face. Flowers had been in custody since February 26. The offending breached a suspended prison order from September last year. Flowers breached the order in October for trespassing, but the judge had granted her one last chance. Her defence lawyer Georgia Herford said her client was under the influence of drugs at the time of offending and had not intentionally punched the police officer. Ms Herford requested a strict imprisonment order, saying Flowers had reflected on her actions while in custody and was now dedicated to staying sober and taking care of her family and home. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell said there was nothing that indicated it would be unjust for Flowers to serve the term of imprisonment as the court gave her an opportunity last time but she continued offending. She agreed while Flowers did not go out seeking a fight, officers should be able to do their jobs without threat of harm. Flowers was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment starting from Tuesday and fined $400 for the stealing charge, $156 in costs and a repayment of $105 to the owners.