Nichols had just been arrested after he tried to dodge them on a stolen mountain bike

At one point, while weaving around central Albury near the Atura hotel and the Commercial Club outdoor car park, he rode straight at one of them.

When police unlocked the cage they saw Nichols holding a rolled-up pair of socks, which he then flung as far as he could muster.

The socks went flying over a nearby fence, but were easily retrieved.

A quick look revealed why the 32-year-old had been so anxious; inside was a stash of cannabis that he "found".

THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF CAINE ALLAN NICHOLS:

Magistrate Rodney Brender said the drugs weighed 48 grams, "which is not a small amount".

Nichols has pleaded guilty in Albury Local Court to two counts of possess a prohibited drug, two of having goods in custody suspected of being stolen and a single charge of goods suspected stolen on premises.

While he avoided full-time jail, Nichols still received a sentence of custody by way of an intensive corrections order.

"This is in effect a seven-month suspended jail term," Mr Brender said.

"You have got a lengthy record of crimes of different types, including jail for assault."

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The court was told how Nichols was subject to a "specified target management plan" that led to police doing a routine check at his Matra Place, Albury, home late on the morning of February 15.

When speaking to him they saw two mountain bike wheel rims in his backyard, but he was "unable to give a believable story" about how he got hold of the stolen items.

Six days later, police saw Nichols riding a mountain bike, without a helmet, near the Atura.

They took off after him, yelling out "stop, police". He then he crashed into their parked vehicle.

Nichols also had on him, without a prescription, two Suboxone Buprenorphine soluble film patches used to treat opioid addiction.

Nichols was also put on an 18-month community corrections order.