A man subject to parole and various court orders tried to flee over a Civic hotel balcony when police arrested him in relation to the theft of a car, which he and his partner allegedly stole during a test drive.
Cody Joiner, 32, stormed out of a remote room after being remanded in custody by the ACT Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.
Magistrate Jane Campbell granted his partner, 39-year-old Tamara Marie Ferguson, bail after prosecutors did not oppose her release.
Officers from ACT Policing's Operation TORIC, which targets recidivists, arrested the couple at the Quest Hotel in City Walk about 12.05am, having earlier found a stolen Subaru Liberty parked nearby.
In court documents, police say Joiner and Ferguson visited a Fyshwick dealership called Collins Car Sales on September 9.
They were allowed to test drive the Liberty, which had significant hail damage, and allegedly failed to return it at the end of the day.
The same car, by this time bearing stolen number plates, was captured on CCTV at a Gungahlin service station the following night.
Police claim surveillance footage shows Joiner filling the Liberty with fuel and getting back into the passenger seat of the car, which Ferguson allegedly drove away without the pair paying for the petrol.
Officers say they saw the car again in a Kambah shopping complex car park on Wednesday, when Joiner was allegedly behind the wheel.
When the couple were arrested early on Saturday morning, police claim to have found a key for the stolen Subaru on the 32-year-old.
The car's original number plates were sitting on the back seat, and checks revealed Joiner did not hold any current driver's licences.
Ferguson, who was on a good behaviour order and police bail at the time of her alleged offending, was the first of the pair to face court.
She did not enter pleas to five fresh charges, including joint commission car theft, or the three on which police had bailed her.
Prosecutor Hannah Lee did not oppose bail but asked Ms Campbell to include a condition that would ban Ferguson from contacting Joiner.
The suggestion prompted a scoff from Ferguson, who said the pair were in a relationship and that they shared a child together.
Ms Campbell declined to impose the non-contact condition, but prohibited Ferguson from possessing car keys or fobs.
Joiner, who is also accused of causing "significant damage" to an underground car park in Phillip during an attempted aggravated burglary on September 8, did not enter pleas to eight new charges.
Ms Lee opposed his release, arguing the man was likely to commit offences and fail to attend future court dates if he was granted bail.
A Legal Aid duty lawyer countered that conditions could ameliorate any risks, saying Joiner was living with family in Palmerston and working full-time following his recent release from a NSW jail.
Ms Campbell ultimately agreed with Ms Lee, raising "significant concerns" about Joiner committing crimes or leaving the jurisdiction.
The magistrate noted Joiner's latest alleged offending had occurred while the man was on parole for a robbery committed in Queensland.
She indicated he was also subject to a suspended jail sentence imposed in the ACT and said he was wanted by police in NSW, where he was on intensive correction and community corrections orders.
Joiner and Ferguson are due back in court next month.
