Jack Thomas Whalan, 31, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to 27 charges including recklessly exposing an emergency worker to risk by driving.

The court heard about 6.20pm on December 25 last year, a witness contacted police about two suspicious vehicles in the Spring Gully area.

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About 10 minutes later, police arrived on Connellys Road and saw Whalan driving a stolen Nissan Navara ute with outstanding stolen registration plates.

Whalan was driving towards the officers when he noticed it was a police car and reversed backwards in an attempt to flee.

The police blocked the road and Whalan then accelerated towards them, ramming the van and pushing it into bushland.

There were two officers inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.

The court heard Whalan proceeded to drive off for another 350 metres, smashing through three fences and damaging the stolen Nissan.

He then got out of the vehicle and attempted to run while carrying a red first aid bag.

The officers, who were chasing Whalan on foot, managed to arrest him. He was taken to the Bendigo Police station where he was searched.

Officers found items including 1.8 grams of methamphetamine, a plastic bottle with 750ml of the drug GHB, a passport under a different name, and a wallet with various identification cards.

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Police also searched the crashed ute and found outstanding stolen items including a chainsaw and a mountain bike.

Whalan on Wednesday also pleaded guilty to several drug possession and disqualified driving charges relating to offences between April and November 2020.

Defence lawyer Luke Docherty told the court Whalan's offending was linked to his substance abuse issues.

Mr Docherty said after Whalan's father died in September, the 31-year-old escalated his drug use and effectively became homeless.

The defence lawyer conceded that a term of imprisonment was the only available sentence.

Magistrate Susan Wakeling said it seemed that Whalan's "law-abiding life" derailed after he started using methamphetamine.

"He has been unable to dig himself out of this hole," she said.

But Ms Wakeling said the legislation dictated that she needed to impose a "harsh" penalty for the charge of recklessly exposing an emergency worker to risk by driving.

Whalan was jailed for 18 months, with a non-parole period of 12 months. His 201 days in pre-sentence detention were reckoned as already served.

Whalan was also fined $1500, his licence was cancelled, and he was disqualified from driving for 30 months.

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