Corio man arrested for allegedly stealing $70,000 worth of power tools

A Corio man, alleged to have stolen $70k worth of power tools, attempted to make a daring escape before being arrested by detectives and is now behind bars.

An alleged serial thief police believe stole more than $70,000 worth of power tools has been arrested and is now behind bars.

The 34-year-old Corio man is alleged to have stolen a range of equipment, including jackhammers, drills and construction tools from cars and construction sites across North Geelong during a spree which is understood to have begun in mid-July.

When detectives from the Geelong Divisional Response Unit arrived at the man’s property on Thursday, he unsuccessfully tried to flee over his backyard fence.

Police were able to recover about $52,000 worth of stolen tools during a search of the man’s property, with the rest believed to have been on-sold.

Police said the man had an outstanding warrant of imprisonment for previous unrelated offending and is currently serving a six-month prison term.

Police recovered $52k worth of power tools from the Corio man's home. Picture: Victoria Police

He will be back in court later this year in relation to the thefts, slated to appear in Geelong Magistrates court charged with burglary, theft, possessing a prohibited weapon and handling stolen goods.

Acting Detective Sergeant Mat Evans said “tool theft is on the rise across the state, with opportunistic thieves scoping out unlocked vehicles and job sites”.

“Having your tools stolen is not just annoying, but it often comes with a substantial financial hit with expensive equipment needing to be replaced and upcoming jobs cancelled,” Mr Evans said.

“Engraving tools is critical for investigators in identifying owners and making it harder for on selling.”

Most of tools found at the man’s home were returned to their owners, however police are still trying to identify the owner of an outstanding generator and a couple of tool bags.

Anyone missing these items are encouraged to contact Detective Senior Constable Wayne Glover at Geelong Divisional Response Unit by contacting Geelong Police Station.

Police are encouraging tradesman to lock their vehicles, with many of the stolen tools taken from unlocked vans and utes.

[e-mail]

Originally published as Corio man arrested for allegedly stealing $70,000 worth of power tools