A MAN arrested over a series of burglaries of businesses and churches across the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston over the past four months has been remanded in custody to appear at Frankston Magistrates’ Court at a later date.
The 37-year-old, arrested by Detective Sergeant Adrian Mizza, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, at his Rosebud home last week, is facing 28 charges over 14 alleged burglaries involving more than $60,000.
The man appeared at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday on unrelated charges but detectives will apply for the burglary charges to be heard at Frankston Magistrates’ Court.
More charges are pending as detectives further investigate his activities.
Detectives will allege the man used angle grinders and hammer drills to cut into safes and tills at shops and businesses at McCrae, Rosebud and Sorrento since October. His victims included travel agents, bakeries, bookshops, stationery outlets, cafes, hairdressers – as well as churches at Frankston South, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha and a private home at Carrum.
Detective Sergeant Jason Hocking, of Mornington Peninsula CIU, said the man had been bailed at Frankston Magistrates’ Court in September over shop burglaries in which petty cash had allegedly been stolen.
“I’m sure there will be many local traders breathing a sigh of relief now,” Detective Hocking said.
“Most businesses tend not to leave much cash on their premises overnight but, in some cases we investigated, this was not always the case.”
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 8 January 2019
