Burglary witnesses call
POLICE are asking witnesses to come forward, after two schools were burgled in the Dandenong Ranges last week.
Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) Detective Sergeant, Pat Barrow said that overnight between Thursday, 27 August and Friday, 28 August, the Sherbrooke Community School in Sassafras and the South Belgrave Primary School were broken into.
Police arrested a man near the Belgrave South School, who was interviewed and released, pending further inquiries – Det Sgt Barrow said charges have not been laid “at this point in time”.
“There’s a bit more investigating to do,” he said.
He said there was a “possibility” that the two burglaries were linked, and asked anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious behaviour to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to file a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Vehicle written off
THE OWNER of a brand-new Nissan Patrol ute has found himself on the market for a vehicle once more, after writing off the vehicle on the Black Spur over the weekend.
Healesville Police Leading Senior Constable Chris Hickey said an Alexandra man was on his way home along the Black Spur near Fernshaw late on Friday, 28 August when he “went off” the side of the spur.
Though LSC Hickey said he believed the driver was not injured, his wallet may have been – the car, which was picked up earlier in the day in Ferntree Gully, was written off in the crash.
“It was brand new – and it’s buggered,” he said.
Adding insult to injury, the Maroondah Highway between Fernshaw and the Dom Dom Saddle Car Park was closed for an hour and a half on Saturday morning while heavy haulage retrieved the wrecked car.
The Alexandra man was the second to write-off a car on the stretch of road – on Thursday, 27 August, a van full of French students rolled on the highway leading up to the spur, after hitting an embankment.
Serial drive-off thief
A SERIAL petrol thief is being hunted by police, after four drive-offs in the Upper Yarra region late last month.
Yarra Ranges Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) Detective Sergeant, Pat Barrow said the first drive-off was on Monday, 17 August, at 5.50pm in Launching Place.
Det Sgt Barrow said the alleged thief, a Caucasian woman aged in her twenties to thirties with brown hair, drove off from a service station in a white Ford sedan without paying for petrol.
On Friday, 21 August, the same woman is believed to have driven off from a Woori Yallock service station without paying for petrol at 8.45am.
At 11.30am on Saturday, 22 August, the woman again drove away from Launching Place without paying for petrol.
Three days later, on Tuesday, 25 August, the woman drove away from a Seville service station at 9am – again not paying for her petrol.
Det Sgt Barrow said police believed the same woman and the same car was involved in each drive-off.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to file a confidential crime report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
