By KATH GANNAWAY
A 36-year-old Mooroolbark man described by police as ‘desperate for cash’ will face court over attempts to break into car-wash cash machines at Healesville and Chirnside Park.
Healesville Police Sergeant Stewart Thomson said the man came armed with tools to break into the Healesville Magic Car Wash on Sunday, 25 January, and covered his number plates before attempting to break open the cash dispenser.
He panicked and ran when the alarm went off, but went to the car-wash at Chirnside Park the next night to try his luck again.
He was again caught on CCTV, but had not obscured his number plates.
“We had circulated the footage to other stations and when we heard about Chirnside we made inquiries and were able to identify the vehicle as the same car,” Sgt Thomson said.
While not wanting to speculate on the man’s motivation, Sgt Thomson said as with a number of other crimes and incidents in the region, the man was new to crime at a late stage in his life.
He was released on summons to appear at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on charges including criminal damage, attempted theft and other associated charges.
