Daniel James Quinlan, 27, and co-accused Ross Fish allegedly went on a crime spree across Ballarat for two weeks in July 2018. 

Quinlan, a father of two, pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday to 36 charges with the majority relating to the crime spree.

Prosecutor Ingrid Barry told the court Quinlan and Ross targeted four car wash facilities in Delacombe, Mount Clear and Wendouree over two hours on July 11.

She said the pair drove a blue Ford Falcon with a distinctive white door to the car washes where they caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to units containing coins.

Ms Barry said the accused stole a total of $4200 in coins by forcing entry into the units.

Two weeks later in the early hours of July 24 at Delacombe, police spotted Quinlan and Ross leaving Redan Motors on Wiltshire Lane when he drove his silver Commodore wagon directly at a police vehicle.

The court was told the pair then did a u-turn before driving at the police vehicle a second time. Police attempted to stop the pair but they drove through bollards at the Doug Dean Reserve.

The Commodore was located 300 metres from the first collision while the accused were found a short time later.

Defence barrister Zoran Petric said Quinlan was very,very high on the drug ice during the offending, but prior to that, he had not offended for seven years.

“This has been the most serious of this re-engagement with drugs,” Mr Petric said.

An application for Quinlan to have the case dealt with in the Magistrates Court, instead of the County Court, was granted. The prosecution opposed the application. 

Quinlan is expected to be sentenced in February, while Ross has a committal mention also next month.

The charges Quinlan pleaded guilty to included driving a vehicle in the vicinity of emergency workers and recklessly exposing them to a risk to safety, theft, property damage, possessing drugs and being a non-prohibited person possessing an unregistered longarm.