Kayla Williams, 29, pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Steve Repac said Williams was arrested on Saturday after stealing items from Big W in Ballarat.

The court heard Williams grabbed a bag and placed items from around the store into her handbag and the bag during a period of more than 45 minutes.

Senior Constable Repac said the store manager watched her while in the store and called triple zero.

Police attended and Williams dropped the store bag full of items in one of the aisles and paid for some items at the checkout.

Security searched her handbag and found she had stolen duct tape and a mouthguard.

Senior Constable Repac said police arrested Williams and found zip lock bags containing ice and cannabis in her possession.

The court heard Williams was on bail for stealing meat from Woolworths in July 2019 and in February 2020 she was found in possession of methamphetamine and a flip knife.

Defence lawyer Scott Belcher said the offences were minor and Williams had a limited criminal history.

He said he was instructed Williams had now moved away from using ice and instead was using marijuana.

Magistrate Letizia Torres questioned why Williams would have had ice in her possession on Saturday if she was not using it.

Mr Belcher said it was 'highly undesirable' for Williams to remain in custody as she was vulnerable and would benefit from mental health support.

"If she engages in treatment and counselling she may be in a better position," he said.

Williams was sentenced to a nine-month community corrections order with conditions she engages in supervision, mental health treatment and treatment for drug abuse.

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