Maroondah Street Watch: Police search for pot plant thief in Heathmont
A woman has stolen lavender plants in Heathmont, while there has been another graffiti attack at a Croydon toilet block. Read more in this week’s Maroondah Street Watch.
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HEATHMONT
A lavender lover has been caught on CCTV stealing plants from a Heathmont house. According to a post on the Eyewatch — Maroondah Police Service Area Facebook page, a woman parked her car in front of a house in Sunset Drive on October 3 at 11pm.
She then pulled the newly planted lavender plants out of the ground, loaded them in her car and drove off.
The woman returned to repeat her actions on several occasions later that night.
Police have released images from the CCTV camera in an effort to identify the woman. Anyone with information is urged to phone Ringwood police on 9871 3000.
CROYDON
A Maroondah councillor has expressed her disgust after a $100,000 all-abilities toilet in Croydon’s Town Square was again targeted by vandals.
Cr Marijke Graham discovered the graffiti and an abandoned trolley while she was out shopping with her family on October 13.
She promptly reported the graffiti to the council and through the ‘Snap Solve Send’ phone app.
Cr Graham later posted images of the offensive tags and drawings on her councillor Facebook page and wrote that it had been cleaned up within 24 hours.
She encouraged the community to use the app and report similar incidents to the council.
“As a council, we can’t control how people behave but we can empower our residents to do something to help us make Maroondah a better place to live,” she wrote.
Croydon police Senior Sergeant Graham Gooding described the graffiti attack as “pathetic” and said officers would increase their patrols of the area.
Sen-Sgt Gooding said police were investigating the incident and urged anyone with information to phone the station on 9724 0100 or submit a report to Crime Stoppers.
CROYDON NORTH
A P-plater was hit with nearly $900 in fines and banned from the roads for six months after he was caught driving more than 40km/h over the speed limit.
According to a post on the Eyewatch — Maroondah Police Service Area Facebook page, officers pulled over the 20-year-old on Maroondah Highway in Croydon North on October 12 at 3.30pm.
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He was clocked at 122km/h in an 80km/h zone and received a $702 fine and a six-month driver’s licence suspension.
The man also received a $165 fine and three demerit points for not displaying P-plates and a defect notice for worn tyres.
RINGWOOD EAST
Two cars were severely damaged and a male driver injured his hand following a nasty peak-hour crash on Mt Dandenong Rd on October 11.
Maroondah highway patrol Sergeant Michael Aston said the crash occurred at the intersection of Beaufort Rd in Ringwood East at 4.35pm.
Sgt Aston said the driver of a silver Holden Cruze was waiting to turn into Beaufort Rd and was waved across the lanes by another car that was blocking his view.
The driver failed to see a grey Toyota Prado and the two cars collided.
A 49-year-old Croydon woman and a nine-year-old child inside the Prado were shaken but unhurt, while a 45-year-old Doreen man in the Cruze suffered a hand laceration when the airbag exploded.
Sgt Aston said the man was fined $397 and three demerit points for careless driving.
Sgt Aston reminded drivers they have an obligation to ensure intersections are safe to move through and they are responsible for the safety of everyone they interact with on the roads.