The high times ended for Ainslee Garnham sitting up in bed in his Southbank digs smoking ice in a crack pipe watching reruns of the 1990s US TV soap Melrose Place.
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Detectives led by Adam Higgins entered the scene during an investigation into the theft of "high-end" liquor from Crown casino's boutique nightspot Club 23.
On May 14 last year - 15 years after the seventh and last season of the prime time series about young adults in an LA apartment complex - Garnham was caught red handed with small quantities of ice and GHB and Melrose Place's "special guest star" Heather Locklear in her prime.
Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Monday that at the time Garnham was food and beverage manager at Club 23 which sold "high end liquor by the bottle".
Prosecutor senior constable Manjot Singh told the court the club offered a three month storage policy for customer's bottles not fully consumed on the night of purchase.
Senior constable Singh said an investigation by the casino security intelligence unit between December 2013 and the following May uncovered CCTV footage of Garnham putting bottles of "high end" liquor
into his carry bag and leaving the complex.
He said when police armed with a search warrant attended his address, Garnham was "sitting up in bed watching reruns of Melrose Place while smoking a crack pipe containing methamphetamine".
A search of the premises located a small amount of the drug and GHB, three Crown casino envelopes containing cash and 13 unopened bottles of "assorted high end liquor".
Garnham told police the drugs were for personal use and that the liquor was bought from Crown casino for various businesses over the past 12 months that held private functions at Club 23.
He claimed that he and another employee were given permission by a senior staff member to take any left over liquor not consumed at specific functions.
Garnham, 26, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and to two of possessing drugs.
His barrister Amelia Beech told deputy chief magistrate Jelena Popovic her client, who has no prior convictions, had an outstanding work history in hospitality and was studying a national business course at university.
Ms Beech said the theft had not been from his employer as Crown casino had never paid for the liquor, which was all promotional product, and he believed he was entitled to take it.
From the body of the court, detective Higgins asked Ms Popovic not to punish Garnham further for watching the Melrose Place reruns.
Chuckling, Ms Popovic told detective Higgins he had "made my day" as not often was there a chance to laugh in her job.
She released Garnham on a non-conviction undertaking to be of good behaviour for 12 months, ordered him to pay $500 to the court fund and attend a drug course.
