Shepparton Magistrates’ Court heard Joshua Buovac, 29, of Shepparton, smashed his way into ATMs in Wahring and Tatura on August 6 last year.
In the first instance he and a co-accused stole $6930 after breaking into the Ampol service station in Wahring and smashing an ATM with a sledgehammer at 4.15am.
About an hour later, he and a co-accused broke into Ritchie’s IGA supermarket in Tatura and used a sledgehammer to break the ATM and steal $27,170.
The court heard he also stole $5909 worth of items from a Caniambo property, including security cameras, power tools and tool sets on October 21, 2023.
Buovac pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to four counts of burglary, six counts of theft, two of going equipped to steal, failing to stop on police direction, dangerous driving while pursued by police, three counts of drug-driving, trafficking methamphetamines and three counts of drug-driving.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of dealing with property suspected to be the proceeds of crime, retention of stolen goods, drive while disqualified, speeding by less than 10km/h, driving while suspended, using an unregistered vehicle, unlicensed driving possessing methamphetamines, possessing a prescription drug and two counts of committing an indictable offence on bail.
Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Anna Hanlon told the court Buovac had sold another man $450 worth of methamphetamines on two separate occasions in June and August 2023.
The court also heard he disguised himself with a scarf and gloves and broke into RX Electrical and Data in Shepparton, spending almost an hour inside the building on February 3, 2024.
He piled tools and a generator up to steal but ran away when police and the owner arrived.
When he was caught, he had a number of keys to other buildings with him that he had stolen from the business.
When interviewed by police Buovac admitted the crime and said he “needed to find money to pay off a drug debt”, Leading Sen Constable Hanlon said.
On June 28, 2024, police tracked Buovac as he sped along Shepparton streets from about 11.30pm on a motorbike, crossing on to the wrong side of the road, before riding into bush off Tom Collins Dve where he dumped the motorbike.
Two drills and a battery charger were located in a backpack recovered near the motorbike and $350 cash was found on him when he was arrested.
He was drug-driving at the time and did not have a motorbike licence, and the motorbike was not registered.
On July 4, 2024 he was again picked up by police and found to be drug-driving.
The court heard unknown offenders stole four motorbikes, apparel and helmets from a shed in McNamara Rd, Toolamba, on July 9, 2024.
Two of these motorbikes were found during a police search of Buovac’s house on August 6, 2024.
Also found during the search were 178 packets of cigarettes and 61 packets of loose tobacco that were stolen after FoodWorks supermarket in Numurkah was broken into on August 4, 2024.
Police also found $17,000 that Buovac threw behind a couch in the garage when police arrived to search the property.
Police say the money was from the ATM thefts.
Buovac’s defence solicitor told the court the burglaries were “drug-related” and the drug trafficking only involved a “relatively small” amount on two occasions.
Magistrate Simon Zebrowski, however, said the burglaries involved planning, disguises and gloves, and he went equipped to steal.
Buovac’s defence counsel asked for a sentence that involved a jail term and a community corrections order, saying he had been able to do well on them in the past.
He said Buovac had an intellectual disability, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder, which would make prison more difficult for him.
Buovac was sentenced to two years in prison, with a non-parole period of 12 months.
The 282 days he has already done in pre-sentence detention will count as time already served.
His driver’s licence was also cancelled for two years, and he was fined $1000.
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