Bail has been refused for a man who allegedly stole a tradie's wallet on a worksite and was found with an imitation firearm.
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Daniel Cooper appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Tuesday for a bail application after he was arrested on Monday.
The court was told two tradesmen were working on a residential building site in Bacchus Marsh, where they saw a man in a high-visibility jumper but thought he was also working.
Soon after, one noticed his bag was missing from his vehicle.
Inside the bag was the man's wallet - he phoned his bank to cancel his cards and check the transaction history, then he and his colleague tracked down where the purchases were being made and saw a man wearing the same hi-vis jumper.
They confronted the man, who initially denied having the man's wallet, but later recanted and handed the bank card back after they told him police were on their way.
The man then tried to abscond, but was restrained - the tradies noticed an imitation firearm allegedly in the man's waistband, which they threw to the ground.
Police then arrived, and a search allegedly found two containers of cannabis as well as the rest of the man's wallet, as well as medication without a prescription.
Cooper's defence lawyer said there were compelling reasons to grant bail, including his stable accommodation, the difficulty in the 14-day isolation period in custody, and the fact that the sentence could be less than time on remand.
However, Magistrate Rod Saines refused the application, citing the fact that Cooper was already on bail for cannabis possession and had a long history of failing to comply with court orders.
"I accept the difficult period of isolation in custody and no family contact, but I'm not satisfied compelling reasons were shown," he said.
"He has a history of failing to answer bail and committing indictable offences while on bail, and a recent history of seeking to escape and being deceptive with police."
Cooper removed himself from the court room after attempting to make a personal plea to Mr Saines.
He will return for a mention at the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates' Court on September 4.
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