A young disqualified driver allegedly dragged a police officer along the pavement at a Sebastopol service station as she tried to restrain him in his car, a court has been told.
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The police officer was forced to let Aaron Kearseboom go as he allegedly accelerated and drove down the wrong side of Hertford Street with his headlights turned off.
The 24-year-old allegedly reached speeds of 100km/h along Rubicon Street, forcing a driver to take evasive action and swerve off the road.
Kearseboom made a bail application at Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday after his arrest a day after the alleged incident at the 7-Eleven Sebastopol on May 28.
Senior Constable Ben Fraser told the court Kearseboom told police he was “off his guts on drugs” and he could not remember the alleged incident.
He said Kearseboom, admitted to selling the red station wagon after he allegedly used it to evade police on May 27 at 9.45pm.
Senior Constable Fraser said police opposed bail because Kearseboom was an unacceptable risk of endangering the public’s welfare.
“Police have serious concerns he will continue to commit further offences if granted bail,” Senior Constable Fraser said.
He told the court Kearseboom was put on a community corrections order on March 23 but stopped on April 11 because he said it was an inconvenience and he’d rather do jail time.
The court was told Kearseboom was using a gram of the drug ice a day.
Defence lawyer Lachlan Carter said CCTV footage of the alleged incident was unclear, showing the police officer was not behind the station wagon.
Giving evidence in court, Kearseboom’s mother said her son had no prior convictions. She said she was prepared to offer assurity of $2100 and he could live with her at a rural town outside Ballarat.
“I would give any amount of money to help my child,” she said.
Kearseboom is facing 10 charges stemming from the alleged incident, and another charge relating to stealing $351 worth of alcohol at Dan Murphy’s Ballarat on January 5, 2017.
Magistrate Gregory Robinson said he could see the attractiveness of Kearseboom living in a far away place, away from the “seductions of drug life in Ballarat”.
But he said he did not trust Kearseboom.
Mr Robinson refused bail, saying he was an unacceptable risk to the public.
Kearseboom will return to court on July 6.
