A Trawalla man has faced court after allegedly stealing and stripping cars of their catalytic converters, before setting them on fire in bushland around Ballarat.
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Joshua Hope, 23, appeared from custody at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Tuesday on charges of arson and car theft, following a string of alleged incidents between November 2022 and January 2023.
Police allege Hope had stolen more than six vehicles from residences across the Moorabool area - at times breaking to properties to take the car's keys before leaving.
From there, police alleged Hope took the vehicles to the Creswick State Forest, cut the catalytic converters from them, and then set them on fire.
Catalytic converters are fitted to vehicles to control exhaust emissions and are often stolen and sold for the precious metals inside.
Hope, who was on parole at the time of the alleged offending, was arrested by police at a Trawalla address on January 3.
According to the police, the total value of damage cause by Hope's alleged burning of cars was $134,000 - not including the cost of damage done to parts of the Creswick State Forest and emergency services response.
Hope was also alleged to have evaded police at the site of a supposed catalytic converter sale in Bendigo on December 21, 2022.
Police alleged Hope, and another man, were spotted at about 10.30pm in California Gully with their car boots open, assessing merchandise by torch light.
When officers arrived, Hope allegedly entered his vehicle and attempted to leave the car park where the alleged deal was taking place.
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Reaching a dead end, Hope was alleged to have turned his vehicle around and drove toward the officers with his high-beams on in an attempt to blind the officers.
He was accused of swerving around the officers and speeding away from the scene.
At Tuesday's hearing, Hope's lawyer argued that the matter should be heard in the Magistrates' Court, as opposed to the higher County Court, where the offences could attract a larger sentence.
The Magistrates' Court is only able to sentence an offender to two years imprisonment for an individual charge, and five years in total.
However, as Hope was in custody due to the alleged offending, and due to the "abject seriousness" of the charges, Magistrate Ronald Saines allowed the matter to be heard in the County Court, at a date to be set.
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