A Bellambi man wanted by police after he pegged two tennis balls full of drugs over the wall of Cooma jail less than two hours after being released from the facility has been arrested at a home in Dapto.
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A magistrate issued a warrant for Brock Martin's arrest last Wednesday after he failed to turn up to Cooma Local Court to answer the prison charges.
He was discovered inside a home in Osborne Street at Dapto on Tuesday but tried to flee from police.
He was eventually captured, at which time officers discovered bags containing an assortment of drugs stashed down the back of his underpants.
Martin faced Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday and was granted strict conditional bail to live with his mother at Bellambi, despite police opposition to his release.
Documents tendered to the court reveal Martin walked free from Cooma Correctional Centre on parole at 9.30am on July 9.
But rather than leave his troubled past behind, Martin returned to the facility just two hours later as a passenger inside a white Toyota Hilux, being driven by a female.
The vehicle parked on Barrack Street at the rear of the centre, at which time Martin was clearly captured on the jail's exterior CCTV footage exiting the car and approaching the perimetre wall.
He was then seen to throw two large objects, later identified as red and yellow tennis balls with "Nerf Dog" branding, over the wall and into the jail's exercise yard.
One ball was collected by an inmate, while the other was seized by Corrective Services staff.
Upon investigation, staff discovered the ball containing 28g of tobacco and large number of buprenorphine (bupe) strips.
Meanwhile, the CCTV cameras showed Martin return to the vehicle and get inside before the female drove off.
Prison personnel who viewed the footage immediately recognised Martin and contacted police.
The Hilux was subsequently stopped on the Monaro Highway later that day and Martin was arrested.
Martin denied throwing any balls into jail when interviewed by police, despite the CCTV evidence.
He was charged with five offences including delivering drugs into a place of detention.
Martin was released on bail at the time but failed to show up to court last week to answer the charges, prompting the magistrate to convict him in his absence and issue the warrant for his arrest.
When apprehended on Tuesday, Martin was found with 1.55g of meth, 0.56g of heroin, 1.07g of cannabis and 1.03g of bupe.
Magistrate Claire Girotto granted Martin strict conditional bail in court on Wednesday, ordering him to report to police daily, live with his mother in Bellambi, accept treatment from his doctor and abide by a nighttime curfew.
"The worse thing you can do is be found with drugs again," she warned Martin.
The case will return to court next Tuesday.