ACCUSED ‘VERY BUSY’

AN accused drug dealer and thief has told a court he has three children and two women to support, but police say he does not have a job and keeps offending to buy drugs.

Magistrate Peter Mellas yesterday told Newcomb’s Zac Warren he did not believe his claim that he needed bail because he has a full-time job.

Warren, 29, allegedly resisted police efforts to arrest him on Friday morning, when officers say they caught him with almost 3.6g of methylamphetamine, 10ml of GHB, stolen property and tools for burgling in his car.

The man is also accused of recent burglaries and/or attempted break-ins at Geelong’s Simonds Stadium, a tyre outlet in South Geelong, a Muzz Buzz drive-through coffee shop in Breakwater, a lighting shop in Belmont and Portarlington’s Woolworths supermarket.

The court heard $16,000 worth of cigarettes and $1500 cash were taken from the supermarket on September 13 and a large quantity of alcohol was stolen from a compound at the football ground on August 28.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Kylie Jane said the man wielded a sledgehammer at the coffee outlet on September 5, causing $6000 of damage.

Sen-Constable Jane said police understood the man to be unemployed, and believed he was continually offending to feed a drug habit.

However, Warren — conducting his own application for bail — said he had a full-time job. He pointed out his partner and infant child in the courtroom, and explained he had two other children to a former partner, who was battling illness. He told the court he was a carer for that woman.

“That’s a lot of people you’re caring for while you’re supposedly out there commit- ting these offences,” Mr Mellas said.

“Yeah, I know,” Warren replied.

“You’re very busy,” Mr Mellas added.

“Yeah, allegedly,” Warren said.

Mr Mellas refused the bail application, ordering Warren return to court next Monday (September 25), where he is now facing 23 charges, including a count of trafficking methylamphetamine and other drugs and theft charges.