Matthew Dellevergine of Mill Park allegedly pretends to be police
A man tried to waltz out of Coles Plenty Valley’s emergency doors with allegedly stolen goods just months after being suspected of impersonating a cop. But he had some interesting excuses while spilling a strange liquid over himself while trying to get rid of it.
North
Don't miss out on the headlines from North. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man tried to waltz out of a shopping centre’s emergency doors with allegedly stolen goods just months after he was suspected of impersonating a police officer.
And when he was arrested he was allegedly loaded with drugs
But Matthew Dellevergine claimed the crystal substance in the ziplock bag in his pocket was crushed lollipops, and the alleged GHB, which he tried to squirt out and spilt on himself, was jungle juice.
The 33-year-old applied for bail before Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on Monday, July 13, having been arrested the night earlier while on bail and a County Court community corrections order.
The court heard Dellevergine allegedly tried to walk out an emergency door at Coles Plenty Valley about 9.05pm on July 12 with a basket of groceries, before he was challenged by an employee and walked out the storefront.
Constable Nicole Kernic said PSOs arrested him outside the store, also finding items on him they believed had been stolen from Kmart.
Four grams of methamphetamine were allegedly found in his pocket along with a bottle of GHB when he was taken to Mill Park police station.
Constable Kernic said a spot test on the crystal substance showed it was methamphetamine, even though Dellevergine insisted it was crushed lollipops.
She said he spilt the alleged GHB on his pants trying to get rid of it at the station.
The court heard he’d been charged with impersonating police after multiple calls to police reported a Holden Astra driving erratically on Plenty Rd, Mernda with red and blue flashing lights about 8.40am on February 29.
It was allegedly his car, which was then found with the lights attached outside the Bridge Inn Hotel in Mernda.
Dellevergine was also allegedly caught with four ammunition cartridges in his boot on June 6.
The court heard the Mill Park man was a methamphetamine user who had been unemployed since finishing an 18-month jail sentence eight months earlier.
His lawyer argued the items alleged to have been stolen from Kmart were not, and said they wanted the drugs to be formally tested.
She said there would be some delay in sorting out the issues, and Dellevergine needed medical attention for injuries he sustained during a dirt bike incident weeks earlier.
Magistrate Stephen Ballek agreed Dellevergine could risk spending more time in custody than he could be sentenced to because of the delays imposed by COVID-19, granting him bail with a curfew.
MORE: HOW MILL PARK MAN BLEW $10K SUPER WITHDRAWAL ON HEROIN
GUN ALLEGEDLY FOUND ON TEEN DURING COVID-19 CHECKS