A Wodonga man has admitted to sticking up a woman with a knife and stealing her vehicle during a five-day drug bender, with Indigenous leaders warning the 20-year-old he was on a path of self-destruction.
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Joel Butler stole the weapon from Woolworths in Wangaratta on August 7 last year before "prodding" the victim with it at Big W, threatening to stab her, and taking her vehicle.
A 17-year-old Albury girl was also involved.
The pair took the stolen station wagon to Melbourne and returned the following day, with the pair arrested at Rutherglen.
The County Koori Court this week heard Butler had gone off his medication about a month before the incident and was using ecstasy and ice.
He pleaded guilty to a string of charges in the court, including the theft of another car in Wodonga a day earlier, the use of stolen credit cards and theft.
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As part of the sentencing process, Butler left the dock and spoke to Indigenous elders and community leaders.
Pam Pedersen, a Yorta Yorta elder, said she was "so disappointed" in his actions.
"You're only 20 years old," she said.
"You've been getting yourself into trouble for such a long time now.
"It's too long."
Ms Pedersen said meth was his downfall.
"When you take this ice, you get up to mischief," she said.
Butler's mother, Tania, broke down when noting the impact ice had on him.
"When he's not on drugs, the Joel sitting in front of you is the Joel I know," she said.
The case will return on September 3 to determine if Butler can serve a sentence in youth detention rather than adult jail.
