TWO men were charged late last week over a series of burglaries and thefts in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula in the past three weeks.

A Rosebud man, 23, and a Port Arlington man, 32, were arrested at a Mornington McDonald’s car park by members of the Somerville Highway Patrol and Mornington police, 11.30pm, Thursday 26 September.

The allegedly stolen car they were driving had been seen earlier at Mt Martha and again in the restaurant car park.

The Rosebud man is facing 15 charges, including aggravated carjacking, firearms offences, theft of a vehicle and handling stolen goods. The Port Arlington man is facing 47 charges, including burglary, theft of, and theft from, motor vehicles.

Detectives say the offences were committed between 6 and 26 September, and included an incident at Frankston on 17 September in which a man was allegedly hit on the forehead with a hand gun at a Nepean Highway service station.

The arrests formed part of Operation Night Eagle, a Southern Metro Division 4 operation focused on recidivist offenders. It aimed to reduce high harm and high-impact crimes, including vehicle-related crime.

The pair appeared before a bail justice on Friday and were remanded in custody. The Rosebud man was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Monday 30 September). The other man will appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 1 October 2019