By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A man has been refused bail after allegedly crashing during a police pursuit in Dandenong and in a separate incident being found with an array of firearms and drugs in a motel room with a naked, unconscious female.
Matthew George Matovic, 33, of Cranbourne, had sped away from police, who attempted to intercept him over a female passenger not wearing a seatbelt on Jones Road, Dandenong, on 1 March, a court heard.
Matovic drove at an alleged 110 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on the wrong side of Bennet Street, Dandenong, swerving past a truck that was pulling out into traffic.
“I thought he was going to roll the car,” police informant Leading Senior Constable Paul McCracken told Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 27 March.
Still on the wrong side of Bennet Street, the accused allegedly went through a red light at the Cheltenham Road intersection.
Despite braking heavily, he crashed into the side of a Hilux utility in a “fairly substantial” collision, Leading Sen Const McCracken said.
After Matovic’s car – with passenger on board – “rolled” through the intersection, he jumped out of the vehicle and fled by foot.
He was arrested not far from the scene, wearing an empty holster and testing positive for methamphetamine in his system.
Matovic told the court: “I tried to stop at the traffic lights but the car wouldn’t stop.
“He could have been a family man just like me.”
At the time, Matovic had extensive priors for drug use, family violence, armed robbery, burglary, firearms, driving and meth-trafficking.
He’d spent more than 200 days in custody last year, had previously rammed a police vehicle and was not at his nominated Cranbourne address when visited by police several times, the court was told.
Matovic was on summons over drugs and firearms found at Comfort Inn motel, Dandenong, on 12 November 2015.
As paramedics treated the naked, unconscious female in the room, detectives allegedly found a loaded home-made nine-millimetre firearm next to Matovic’s motorcycle helmet.
He was also charged with possessing GHB, cannabis, a loaded .22-calibre pen-pistol and 16 rounds of matching ammunition.
There was also a pending intervention order protecting his girlfriend’s relatives, who he’d allegedly threatened to burn alive in their house.
Charges were also pending over a Doveton home burglary, where Matovic had allegedly left a palm print.
His lawyer argued Matovic – who has an acquired brain injury – was assessed as suitable for CREDIT bail.
He was motivated to kick his heavy, long-term ice habit due to the impending birth of his son, the lawyer said.
Magistrate Jack Vandersteen described the alleged driving as “appalling” and “as bad as it would get”.
He refused bail due to Matovic being an unacceptable risk of re-offending and endangering the public, he said.
“(The driving) puts so many people in the community at incredible risk.
“I have no confidence you would do what’s asked of you on bail.”
Matovic will appear at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 3 April – ahead of a possible screening for Dandenong Drugs Court.
