Shepparton’s Ronald Croxford imprisoned for theft, bail offences

A Shepparton sex offender broke into a person’s house and tried to steal their jewellery before police caught him hiding under a blanket.

Ronald Croxford has been sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to theft and entering property charges.

A registered sex offender who was found by Shepparton police lying under a blanket in a person’s house without permission has pleaded guilty to theft and drug charges.

Ronald Croxford, 43, was charged with two counts of entering a private property without permission, stealing jewellery and a mountain bike, attempted theft, and possessing methylamphetamine.

He was also charged with failing to comply with reporting obligations as a registered sex offender and his community corrections order twice, and two counts commit indictable offence while on bail.

He appeared in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to all charges.

In May 2024, he had failed to alert police of a change of address in line with his obligations as a person on an offenders list.

On June 14 last year police were called to a Shepparton address after a man was alerted someone was in his house without permission because there was a strong smell of cigarette smoke coming from his TV room.

Police forced entry to the room as something was blocking the door and saw Croxford lying on the floor under a blanket.

Roland Croxford appeared in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to a series of charges. Picture: Jack Colantuono

He was arrested and searched and found with silver coloured jewellery belonging to the resident.

On August 23, 2024 Croxford stole a bike that was locked to a rack near the intersection of Maude and Fryer streets in Shepparton.

He broke the lock by pulling with force and stomping on the bike, which was valued at $420.

On October 4, 2023, Croxford was charged with attempted theft after he removed a variety of tools from shelving in a residential shed in Mooroopna and left them lying on the ground.

Police arrested him a short time later and he admitted to consuming drugs immediately before being found by police.

Croxford was sentenced to serve three months concurrently with a five-month sentence he began in early March.

The court heard long-standing drug addiction and homelessness contributed to the offences and that Croxford was keen to engage in rehabilitation.

Prior to his five-month sentence he was a resident at a rehabilitation centre, which Magistrate Simon Zebrowski said it would be good for him to go back to.