A former pro basketballer and model turned drug user is in custody after she was arrested hiding in the laundry of a northside house on Sunday night.
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Janna Maree Sladic, 28, was refused bail after appearing before the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday on charges of burglary and escaping from custody.
The court heard police were called to a Hawker home about 9.20pm on Sunday after a passer-by noticed a person climbing onto a second-storey balcony.
Officers entered the home and found Ms Sladic, of Page, hiding behind a door in the laundry.
The former Canberra Capitals player then allegedly ran when police tried to search her.
A police informant said a diamond ring and torch were found in Ms Sladic’s possession when she was apprehended.
He said the occupants of the Hawker house had confirmed that the ring was not taken from them.
The prosecution opposed bail, saying Ms Sladic was likely to reoffend as she was a known heroin user. At the time of the alleged offences, Sladic was already subject to a number court orders, the prosecution said.
Last month Ms Sladic was bailed over charges of trespassing, possessing stolen property and driving while suspended.
The court heard she also was on a bond from a NSW court and serving a three-year suspended jail sentence from the ACT Supreme Court after she pleaded guilty to a knife-point robbery at a KFC outlet in Hawker in November 2011.
But legal aid lawyer Michael Toole said his client had taken refuge in the home because she had been robbed and was being chased by a knife-wielding man.
Mr Toole said Ms Sladic last week entered a methadone program to help treat her addiction.
He said she had run from police because they were making fun of her.
Magistrate Beth Campbell refused bail, saying the explanation given by Ms Sladic seemed implausible.
The magistrate said Ms Sladic had been seen acting suspiciously, not as though she was being chased.
She questioned why the defendant had fled to a residential address rather than nearby shops.
Ms Campbell said the defendant’s significant record meant her word was not something the court could accept.
Ms Sladic was remanded to reappear later this month.
