Steven Ramsay, 35, was sentenced in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to charges including dangerous driving, theft, and trespassing.

The court heard about 3.30am on June 15 last year, police alerted highway patrol after they saw Ramsay driving on the Midland Highway near Shepparton.

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A short time later, the officers saw Ramsay running along the highway. They intercepted the 35-year-old and he identified himself straight away.

Ramsey said he saw the police and panicked because he was a disqualified driver operating an unregistered car with no number plates.

The 35-year-old told officers he turned his lights off to avoid apprehension, before speeding at 120km/h in a 80km/h zone.

Ramsay said he lost control of the car and veered off the highway, narrowly missing street signs before he crashed.

He told police he ran from the car because he knew he had ziplock bags of methamphetamine. The 35-year-old also admitted to taking about three points of methamphetamine before driving.

Ramsay also pleaded guilty to taking a charity tin from a regional hotel and trespassing at the Eaglehawk Landfill earlier this year.

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Defence lawyer Robert Morgan told the court Ramsay's life went "off the rails" because of his significant ice addiction.

Mr Morgan said Ramsay was extremely compliant with police after the crash as he made full and frank admissions from the moment he was intercepted.

The defence lawyer said Ramsay had already served 40 days of pre-sentence detention in "onerous" conditions because of COVID-19.

Mr Morgan said during the lockdowns, Ramsay was not allowed to leave his cell for 24 hours a day or make phone calls to his family.

The defence lawyer submitted that a sentence of time served would be appropriate.

Magistrate Megan Aumair said she accepted Ramsay had already served a challenging period in custody.

But she said a further jail term was required given the seriousness of the charges.

Ms Aumair convicted and sentenced Ramsay to three months in jail, with 40 days reckoned as already served.

If Ramsay did not plead guilty, he would have been sentenced to nine months in prison.

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