EXCLUSIVE
A father found dead in a crocodile-infested river after running from police had an extensive criminal record including drug convictions and owning killer dogs – as his tragic family history is revealed.
Martin Wheeler, 36, was being chased by police through central Rockhampton, Central Queensland, on an outstanding warrant when he jumped into the Fitzroy River about 6pm on Thursday.
Wheeler, who ran his own gardening business, called for help and then disappeared underwater before his body was found at 11pm on Saturday after a three-day search by divers and helicopters.
While Queensland Police have not revealed the nature of the new charges Wheeler faced, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the father was a known criminal offender.
Over the past decade, Wheeler has been summoned to court more than 50 times for a range of cases, including traffic offences, drugs and domestic violence.
Martin Wheeler (pictured) died on Thursday after jumping into a river while fleeing police
His body was found in the Fitzroy River on Saturday after a three-day search (pictured).
The most recent court appearance was on October 5 – just two weeks before he made his fatal escape from police.
A source familiar with the family’s situation said Wheeler, who had been living in a caravan in his mother Daphne Louis’s front garden, had his vehicle seized earlier this year due to unpaid fines.
The source said police had been trying to track down Wheeler for some time, but he had successfully evaded them.
“He has been pursued by the police for some time now,” the source said.
“They executed several arrest warrants without success.”
Wheeler’s death is a further blow to his family after his older sister Lara Ashcroft, then 23, was murdered by her former partner, Stephen Wayne Robson, on April 7, 2001.
Robson, a gambler and con man, lured Mrs Ashcroft to a hotel under the impression he would repay the $45,000 he owed her before strangling her and running her over in his car.
Robson was sentenced to prison but was released in 2016 after serving fifteen years, with Wheeler’s mother publicly arguing against his parole.
The trauma Wheeler suffered from the loss of his sister has been repeatedly cited when he has appeared in court over the years.
Wheeler, who ran his own tree felling company, was “known” to police
Wheeler stood before Rockhampton Court just two weeks before his death
In 2009, when he was just 22 years old, Wheeler made headlines after his two dogs, Oppy and Tara, viciously attacked Rockhampton local Shirley Roberts as she walked down the street.
Ms Roberts suffered serious gaping wounds to her legs that required surgery and was hospitalized for five days, with doctors using 60 stainless steel clips and 20 stitches to repair her.
Lara Ashcroft (pictured), Wheeler’s sister, was murdered when she was 23
Two men who came to her aid – Fred Hoare and Daniel Doble – later received bravery awards for their heroic rescue, while Wheeler was found guilty of three charges of failing to stop his dogs from attacking and fined $5,000.
Court documents show previous complaints were filed against another of Wheeler’s hunting dogs after it fatally mauled a poodle in 2008, injuring the owner and two children.
The dog was subsequently put down, but during the 12 months leading up to the attack on Ms Roberts, council officers were repeatedly called to Wheeler’s home because he had an unauthorized number of puppies on the property.
The dogs were often unregistered and found to live in poor conditions, with neighbors complaining that the aggressive pets regularly jumped into their yards.
By the time Ms Roberts was attacked, the dogs – which also attacked a 16-year-old girl – had been the subject of multiple complaints to the council.
When the council ordered that Oppy and Tara be deposed, Wheeler appealed the ruling, with his mother writing a letter pleading for Tara to be spared.
Wheeler was a Pitbull fanatic and regularly shared photos of himself with dogs on his social media
In 2013, Wheeler shared the above photo while trying to unload a litter of “banned” puppies
“Tara seems to be the biggest part of my son’s life and a friend and best friend to him. You can see it goes much deeper than that: Martin called Tara close enough to his sister, her name was Lara,” Ms. Louis wrote.
‘She was murdered when he was 14, I believe this was his only way of coping with her death 9 years ago, and Tara is five and a half years old.
“I think she should be given the right to sit in a high-security fence with Martin.”
Despite the appeal, the dogs were eventually put down in January 2011, with the council trying (but failing in court) to have Wheeler pay $17,900 in administration fees.
Just two years after that lawsuit was settled, Wheeler was back to his old tricks: breeding puppies and then trying to sell them online.
“Ban dogs for sale (sic) 350 each,” he wrote, sharing photos of the litter on Facebook.
On the other hand, in 2018, Wheeler was back in the Rockhampton Court after being busted with drugs following a police search of his home.
He was found in possession of 0.5 grams of marijuana, a bong and a pair of scissors and was sentenced to 15 months’ probation.
Rescue crews are pictured on the river this weekend during the search for Wheeler
In court, his attorney said Wheeler stated he smoked because of the traumatic impact of his sister’s murder and because his dogs were confined to the shelter.
Wheeler, known to his friends as ‘Marty’, had his own business ‘Wheeler Tree Services’, which provided gardening services such as tree pruning, tree removal, stump grinding, pruning and lawn care.
His cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but police leading the search for Wheeler said the river is home to crocodiles with a 4.5 meter beast removed from the area in July.
“It is clear that the Fitzroy River has had a history of crocodile sightings – there was also one disturbed last night in the search area, which was near the pylons under the new bridge,” Chief Inspector Mark Burgess said on Friday.
‘There are a number of bull sharks in the area, which is known from local knowledge, so there are certainly some dangers.’
The investigation into Wheeler’s death is ongoing.